Government to consider PPPs for care services for disabled persons

The government needs to look into how the private sector can participate in the provision of care services for disabled persons, as already happened in the care of the elderly, Prime Minister Joseph Muscat said this morning.

Muscat, who was speaking at the official opening of Villa Messina home for the elderly in Rabat following a €4 million refurbishment, said that private public private partnerships in elderly care had proven very successful and the government would now look into how the same model, with all the necessary checks and provisos, could be replicated in the care for disabled persons.

Muscat said he welcomed news of the decision by Vassallo Group’s CareMalta to refurbish Villa Messina but - even more so - he was even more pleased that more elderly persons will now be able to be welcomed at the residence.

The home for the elderly is run by CareMalta and was originally opened in 1996.

It currently houses 201 residents, of which 145 were referred by the government’s department for the care of the elderly 

There are currently around 2,000 elderly persons awaiting accommodation, including 100 with very urgent needs,

Private homes for the elderly were offering a vital service and said feedback from experts and residents themselves confirmed the positive results being achieved.

During the refurbishment on Villa Messina, all services were replaced, larger and more accessible bathrooms installed, as well as a new chapel, multi-purpose hall, kitchen, dining room, high-dependency area and lifts.

Vassallo Group chairman Nazzareno Vassallo said that the company continued to offer the best possible services to the elderly.

He said that in the 25 years since CareMalta was set up, more than 8,000 elderly residents had been accommodated in the group’s residences.

Vassallo said the private sector also had a lot to offer in the care for disabled persons and he encouraged Muscat to look into the possibility of PPPs to set up care homes for disabled persons.