Through the EU’s European Regional Development Fund, EUR 41 482 300 were contributed “Mater Dei Hospital Oncology Centre” project, that is 85% of the total investment of EUR 48 802 700. This was done through the fund’s Operational Programme “Investing in Competitiveness for a Better Quality of Life” for the 2007 to 2013 programming period, and resulted in Malta’s Sir Anthony Mamo Oncology Centre which offers advanced diagnosis and treatment of cancer.
Opened in 2013, the centre has tripled the number of beds available for cancer patients on the island.
The Centre is part of the new acute general hospital in Msida, close to the island's capital Valletta. It aims to treat 60 % of all Malta's cancer patients and is in keeping with Malta's National Cancer Plan that aims to reduce waiting times for patients and provide better therapeutic practice.
A one stop shop
Every year, around 1 400 Maltese residents develop cancer, leading to some 700 deaths. Before the investment, the island relied on Sir Paul Boffa Hospital to provide oncology and palliative care facilities. The new oncology centre – situated nearby – has taken over all its oncology work.
The new centre provides facilities to treat cancer in a comprehensive care setting. Physically and organisationally interconnected to Mater Dei Hospital, it has a floor area of some 23 000 m2, accommodating 74 inpatient beds and 22 day-care beds. There are also 12 oncology outpatient clinics.
Furthermore, many patients will avoid the extra burden of seeking alternative advanced treatment abroad and instead be able to benefit from modern facilities in Malta. Crucially, the centre is providing more timely and accurate diagnoses, safer procedures as well as improved comfort and security for patients.
Serving inpatients and outpatients
The centre has four functional spaces, the largest being the inpatient area. This offers adult oncology (32 beds in total, five added by the project), palliative care (extra 16 beds), paediatric and adolescent oncology (increase from 6 to 10 beds), haematology wards (16 beds transferred from Mater Dei Hospital), and a radioisotope unit.
In the outpatient area, the project added 8 oncology outpatient clinics, making a total of 12. The diagnostic and treatment areas have a radiotherapy department, day-care, and general anaesthesia procedure facilities. Moreover, the hospital support services provide everything from physiotherapy and social work to occupational therapy and psychological services.
Establishing the Sir Anthony Mamo Oncology Centre created over 100 jobs during its implementation and carried on providing jobs to around 100 more workers.