Mercieca promises to tackle ever-increasing demand for ‘Meals on Wheels’

The Parliamentary Secretary for the elderly, Dr Franco Mercieca, said this morning that the government was fully committed in addressing the growing demand for the 'Meals on Wheels' scheme so that more people can benefit from its services.

"The government is analyzing the situation and doing its utmost to overcome the challenges that it faces.  At the end of the day, our aim is to ensure that as many people as possible can benefit from the 'Meals on Wheels' service and enjoy a good-quality product," Mercieca said.

Mercieca was speaking in Hamrun where he was marking the 'International Day for the Elderly' by helping to distribute some of the meals. He said that the project had been very well received thus far, with there being 214 people enrolled on a waiting list, in addition to the 300 already making use of the service.

The parliamentary secretary said that the 'Meals on Wheels' service is just "one hole in a chain of community services which the government intends to strengthen so that the elderly can keep on living at home as for as long as possible."

Mercieca also stressed that attempts to meet the growing demands will not affect the quality of the food.

"If there is one thing that is for certain it is that the quality of the service will not be affected.  On the contrary, we intend to better the quality standard in a sustainable manner," he said.