St Michael Hospice In Santa Venera Is Transforming Palliative Care In Malta
Hospice Malta’s move to the brand-new St Michael Hospice in Santa Venera is already making a huge difference for patients and their families. Since opening, 501 new patients have been referred to the community services offered by the expanded facility.
The 15,000-square-metre complex, built on the former Adelaide Cini Institute site, replaces the organisation’s old Balzan base and gives the care team room to support more people at some of life’s most vulnerable moments. 60% of the site is dedicated to gardens and open spaces, providing a calm, healing environment for patients and visitors.
The move has also allowed Hospice Malta to expand its loaned medical equipment service, which has more than doubled over the past four years. In 2024, 735 patients accessed equipment to help them stay at home, compared to 377 in 2020. So far in 2025, almost 500 patients have already benefited.
“Loaning medical equipment free of charge lets patients maintain their independence in their own homes and communities,” said Hospice Malta CEO Kenneth Delia. The new premises have doubled the space available for this essential service.
Other services have also grown. In 2024, almost 29,000 hours of care assistance were provided, up from just over 9,000 hours in 2020. In the first half of 2025, 15,000 hours of support have already been delivered.
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The €25 million St Michael Hospice was donated by the Archdiocese of Malta in 2019, with funding support from the National Development and Social Fund (NDSF), EU funds, public donations, and corporate partners. It marks a major milestone for Hospice Malta, which has been providing palliative care since its founding in 1989.
In the first six months at the new site, close to 200 patients have attended therapy sessions, including day therapy, emotional and psychological support, and social work, all in a welcoming, purpose-built environment.
The Day Therapy Unit aims to reduce social isolation for patients while giving family members a vital break. Previously operating from a single room in Balzan, the unit now has an entire wing with multiple therapy spaces and group rooms, allowing more sessions to run simultaneously.
Hospice Malta is also preparing, in collaboration with the Ministry for Health, to open a new in-patient unit, further expanding the services on offer.
Support for Hospice Malta comes from public generosity and corporate donations. Anyone wishing to contribute can do so via their website: www.hospicemalta.org.
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