On Friday, 13 September, in Bratislava, Dominique de La Rochefoucauld-Montbel, Grand Hospitaller of the Sovereign Order of Malta, signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Andrea Kalavská, Minister of Health of the Slovak Republic. The agreement marks a significant step forward in strengthening the longstanding partnership between the Slovak government and the Order in the areas of healthcare and humanitarian assistance.

This 15-year agreement sets out a framework for enhanced collaboration, aiming to expand healthcare services in Slovakia, promote professional training, and develop first aid education. The Grand Hospitaller welcomed the agreement, noting that it “will enable the Order of Malta’s aid services in Slovakia to reach and support even more people.”

Following the signing, the Grand Hospitaller and H.E. Alfred von Schönburg-Hartenstein, Ambassador of the Order of Malta to Slovakia, took part in the official opening of the new national headquarters of Malteser Aid Slovakia, the Order’s relief organization in the country.

Held in central Bratislava, the inauguration ceremony was led by Mons. Stanislav Zvolenský, Metropolitan Archbishop of Bratislava, and attended by over 150 members of the Order, alongside volunteers and both Slovak and international guests.

Dr. Julius Brichta, President of Malteser Aid Slovakia, described the new centre as a key hub for the organization’s growing activities: “It will function as a point of coordination, a training and education facility, and a base for our members and volunteers. It will also serve as the operations centre for our expanding charitable initiatives.”