Wheelchair user Matthew Cachia attends the Ħal Far adult training centre for the disabled but, for the past week, he has been forced to ask his father for a lift as the transport van was unavailable.

Luckily, the 25-year-old’s father, Martin, was able to help but this was not a one-off experience for the family from Fgura.

The government should step in to provide the necessary funds for a proper van to be bought

“Transport has been a constant headache for months,” Mr Cachia said with exasperation, lifting his hands in the air.

The van that used to provide regular transport was broken beyond repair and the replacement is prone to breaking down and is too small to cater for all wheelchair users on the route.

It is difficult to make alternative arrangements when the centre phones the night before to say transport is unavailable, Mr Cachia added.

With his wife receiving medical treatment that requires numerous hospital visits, the problem causes unnecessary frustration.

“I have nothing to complain about the centre and its staff because they do wonders and go out of their way to help but the transport problem is causing us headaches,” Mr Cachia said.

Three other families in the Fgura area also have to deal with the same issue.

“The government should step in to provide the necessary funds for a proper van to be bought,” he said.

But it is not only getting there that causes concern. The centre is supposed to close at 3pm but Mr Cachia has often been taken home at 1.30pm.

This is done so that the van can take all wheelchair users in the area in two trips, as there is not space for all of them.

The Parliamentary Secretariat for Rights of Persons with Disability confirmed that a van used by Support, a government agency, to service the Ħal Far centre was recently declared beyond repair.

A spokesman told Times of Malta that the broken van used on the Fgura route carried two seated people and six wheelchair users but its replacement could only accommodate three wheelchairs.

He confirmed that two trips were required to cater for all the centre’s clients on the route.

“Support is in the process of acquiring a further two tail lift vans that should meet present and forecasted medium-term demands,” the spokesman said, adding it was the agency’s mission to ensure all clients were offered the appropriate service.

He stressed that, in this case, the agency was striving “to maximise its resources cost effectively” but did not specify when the tail lift vans will be available.

That moment cannot arrive too soon for Mr Cachia.

ksansone@timesofmalta.com