Sandra Abela, the first Maltese to benefit from a new free health service being provided by the Maltese Government – a lung transport –returned home yesterday after spending months at a Palermo hospital.

The transplant was performed by a specialised team at the Istituto Mediterraneo per i Trapianti e Terapie ad Alta Specializzazione (ISMETT). The transplant and related recovery cost around €250,000, which the patient didn’t need to pay since this service has been introduced on the Maltese Health Care Package which incorporates well over 4,000 health services provided for free to Maltese nationals.

Mrs Abela and her husband were greeted at Malta International Airport by Health Minister Joe Cassar.

“No words can describe my feelings, my new life right now,” Ms Abela told Dr Cassar.

In September 2011 a deal was signed between the Government and ISMETT for Maltese nationals to be provided with this highly specialised health service.

Due to the nature of the transplant, the medical centre was required to be within acceptable distance from the patient, as the success of the procedure mostly depends on the time in between the availability of the organ and the actual transplant.

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