I was woken up at midnight recently by a member of the St Francis Foundation, who I know well.

There was an injured dog which had been hit by a car. Would I phone the 500 number for the duty vet, which is only available from a landline? He only had a mobile.

I was unnecessarily detained with irrelevant questions. The 500 number is €5 per minute.

It cost me €15. It is an absolute scandal that someone is profiting from an animal's distress, delaying the time to get the animal treated. Imagine if we had to pay €5 or €10 to call an ambulance?

Perhaps the Malta Veterinary Association would like to comment. We need to know who is profiteering from the 500 number revenue? Why is there no freephone emergency number?

St Francis Foundation and Les Morgans rescued this dog. St Francis has been given two veterinary vehicles but cannot use them as the government refuses to waive the duty payable.

By the way, we are still waiting to hear from the government to admit who is responsible for all the oranges wasting on the trees or rotting on the ground on many state properties such as San Anton Gardens, because no government department will admit responsibility. (See my letter of December 31 and the Department of Information's reply on January 3.)

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