Medical students to retain attachments at Karin Grech, Gozo General hospital following privatisation

Medical students at the University of Malta will retain their attachments at Karin Grech and Gozo General hospital as in previous years, the health minister and Vitals Global Healtchare confirmed, as management of the two hospitals falls into VGH’s hands.

In a meeting held with the Malta Medical Students’ Association (MMSA), health minister Chris Fearne and VGH COO Eric Buehrens addressed several concerns the student association brought forward with regard to Malta’s healthcare system.

Fearne and Buehrens confirmed that doctors will still have the opportunity of rotating through the hospitals involved in the public private partnership initiative, in accordance with the Foundation School agreement.

Addressing concerns over delays in construction works of Barts Medical School and in development of Karin Grech and St Luke’s facilities, which MSSA feared would hinder students’ medical education, Fearne and Buehrens explained how the University of Malta and Barts Medical School were collaborating closely on timetabling and other matters.

“Works on the Barts Campus had started, and for the first year students will participate in lectures in Gozo, with no impact to Maltese medical students,” they insisted.

They added that the vast majority of clinical teaching for Barts students will be based in Gozo, St Luke’s, and the community. “Clinical teaching at Mater Dei will be staggered, to ensure that a small number of Barts students are present at Mater Dei campus at any given time,” they said.