Plans for the Church’s Cini Institute in Santa Venera to be transformed into a government-run hospital for terminally ill patients are “at an advanced stage”.

Health Minister Chris Fearne confirmed to this newspaper that the government, the Church and Hospice Malta were working together to open Malta’s first palliative care hospital, with the Church committing to providing the space for the hospital.

“Once they do that, we will be paying for the maintenance and the running of the hospice, so people who can be better served in a palliative setting can move there and we will free up more space [from other hospitals],” Mr Fearne said.

A spokesman for the Church said the Archdiocese and Hospice Malta already had an understanding that the movement would be using the Cini Institute. Major infrastructural works had to be carried out at the institute, the spokesman went on, adding, however, that plans were at “an advanced stage” and an agreement between the movement and the Church would soon be finalised.

“This will include the autonomous delivery of services by Hospice on one hand and the provision of the location by the Church on the other.

“A tentative timeline has also been formulated, and this will be made public once the agreement is signed,” the spokesman said.

The joint venture between the Archdiocese and Hospice Malta follows last year’s announcement by Archbishop Charles Scicluna that palliative care would be offered to terminally ill patients.

“The Archdiocese recognises that Hospice Malta is the leading entity providing specialist palliative care services, and it is pledging to continue consolidating and expanding these services to include both inpatients and outpatients,” the Church spokesman said.

Some 1,800 patients are diagnosed with cancer every year in Malta, with the figure expected to shoot up to over 2,100 by 2020.

At present, Hospice Malta offers a wide range of services for terminally ill patients and their families, including day care and home care.

claire.caruana@timesofmalta.com

The Cini Institute in Santa Venera will be transformed into a palliative care hospital. Photo: Steve Zammit Lupi