The conversion of an veterinary centre into a fully-fledged animal hospital in Ta' Qali will be completed in the coming weeks, Animal Rights parliamentary secretary Roderick Galdes was told today. 

Once opened, Ta' Qali's Centru San Frangisk will include an emergency room, operation theatres, consultation rooms, labs, x-ray rooms, pharmacy, recovery rooms and conference rooms designed to host seminars. 

The hospital will be run by private firm APH Ltd. A company spokesperson said the company had invested "hundreds of thousands" of euro on the project and had already employed 15 people to work there. Employees are in the process of receiving training.

Mr Galdes said the hospital would meet "the highest European standards" and would turn what was once a small care centre into a 24-hour hospital.