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maltatoday | SUNDAY • 6 JUNE 2021 16 COMMERICAL Call for artists by Malta Society of Arts now open THE Malta Society of Arts (MSA) has just issued a Call for Artists, inviting artists and cu- rators to submit applications for the holding of visual arts exhibi- tions at the Art Galleries, Pala- zzo de La Salle, Valletta, during 2023. In recent years, the MSA has expertly converted the whole of Palazzo de La Salle in full re- spect of its historical character, while adapting it to excellently fit the needs of modern artistic and cultural activities. Partly thanks to these renovations, the Art Galleries have gained increasing popularity with the local artistic community. Art- ists who have exhibited at the MSA include Harry Alden, Ġanni Bonnici, Antoine Paul Camilleri, Madeleine Gera, Catherine Cavallo, Alex Dal- li, Kenneth Zammit Tabona, James Vella Clark, Anna Galea, Karen Caruana, amongst oth- ers. Interested parties are en- couraged to book an appoint- ment for a tour of the premises, which will also allow them to ask questions and learn more about the facilities within the space. Applicants are invited to sub- mit hard copies of their duly filled application, together with all the required documents, by hand or by post. Applications and guidelines may be down- loaded from the MSA's web- site through this link: http:// artsmalta.org/download_exhi- bitions/. Applications are to reach the MSA by not later than Wednes- day 1 September 2021. All ap- plications will be processed by the MSA's Arts Advisory Board, according to specific artistic and logistical criteria. The MSA will notify artists/ curators of the outcome by the end of October 2021. For any questions or to book an appointment for a tour of the premises, please call the Malta Society of Arts on21244339 or 21244400. ON Friday 28th May, Hospice Malta called its 32nd Annual General Meeting. The AGM was held virtually in accordance with COVID-19 safety proto- cols. During the meeting, Hospice Malta Chairperson Ms. Ber- nadette Bonnici Kind, spoke about how Hospice has suc- cessfully adapted to changes due to the pandemic, whilst increasing efforts to meet pa- tients' needs to enable them to remain in the comfort of their own home for as long as pos- sible. She also gave an update about St Michael Hospice where works are currently ongoing, and the civil works are expect- ed to be finalised within the coming months. She thanked the various entities as well as the government for their con- tinued support. Ms Bonnici Kind applauded the Council of Administrators, staff members and all volun- teers, whose team effort allows Hospice Malta to cater for the increasing number of patients and families who require pal- liative care services. She also thanked Mrs. Miriam Vella, the President's wife and Patron of Hospice, for hosting the Hos- pice Malta AGM at San Anton Palace. In his annual report, Mr. Kenneth Delia, CEO of Hos- pice Malta, gave an in-depth overview of how Hospice has adjusted to new working prac- tices, its investment in IT for patient contact as well as for contact between Hospice pro- fessionals, its continued efforts to ensure efficiency, effective- ness and accessibility, and the increased use of social media as a means of engagement with both patients and the general public. Mr. Delia gave a summary of the operations and highlight- ed the growing number of pa- tients that added up to 1,305 patients in 2020, a 2% increase on 2019, and who benefitted from around 30,000 sessions through home visits as well as virtual means when the latter were not possible due to the pandemic. 219 patients also benefit- ted from 9,105 hours of care assistant services at the pa- tients' home. Free of charge equipment loans from Hos- pice amounted to 1070 items throughout the year, helping patients to remain as com- fortable as possible in their own home. Day Therapy Unit sessions also shifted to online group virtual sessions. Mr Delia emphasized the im- portance that Hospice places on the quality of the service provision. "Service quality remains one of the most important meas- ures for Hospice. It is with great pleasure that I am able to report that all patients are to- day contacted within 24 hours of their referral, and 94% of our patients receive a home visit by our professional within 5 work- ing days." In addition, Hospice extend- ed its bereavement services to families who lost loved ones to the COVID-19 pandemic. Investment in human re- sources' education and training remain a priority at Hospice as the organisation continues to strengthen the team's profes- sional development. In August 2020, Hospice Malta compli- mented its existing team with the employment of a Chief Re- lations Officer, responsible for marketing, public relations and well as fundraising activities. Mr. Vladimiro Comodini, Hon. Treasurer, gave an over- view of the audited financial statements for the year 2020, during which an increased sur- plus was noted largely due to two exceptional legacies and a transfer of shares from a local established company. He re- minded attendees that one can donate and continue to sup- port Hospice by visiting www. hospicemalta.org. Hospice Malta holds 32nd annual general meeting