68 medical students graduate from Queen Mary’s Gozo campus

Sixty-eight medical students from 27 countries have graduated from Queen Mary University of London’s Malta campus in Gozo.

The ceremony, held at Cathedral Square in Victoria on Thursday, marked the fifth cohort to complete the university’s five-year medical programme in Malta.

More than 200 students have graduated from the campus since its first intake in 2017.

The Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery programme combines early contact with patients and clinical training and is delivered by Queen Mary’s Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry.

Professor Sir Mark Caulfield, Queen Mary’s vice-president for health, said graduates were leaving the programme with the scientific knowledge, clinical skills and professional values needed to contribute to healthcare wherever they chose to work.

“The healthcare challenges of today and tomorrow require doctors who combine scientific excellence with compassion, adaptability and a commitment to lifelong learning,” he said.

Caulfield also thanked the government and the Maltese public for supporting the university’s efforts to train future doctors.

Gozo Minister Clint Camilleri, who attended the ceremony, said the graduation marked both an academic achievement and the beginning of a career centred on service to patients.

He said the partnership with Queen Mary had helped establish Gozo General Hospital as a teaching hospital and strengthened the island’s ambition to become a centre of excellence in healthcare and medical education.

Camilleri pointed to recent investments at the hospital, including improvements to the cardio-respiratory unit, the opening of an early pregnancy room and the purchase of diagnostic equipment.

This included an MRI scanner, a new CT scanner, cardiac imaging equipment, additional ultrasound machines and a bone-density scanner.

The investments were intended to speed up diagnoses, improve treatment and reduce the need for Gozitan patients to travel to Malta, he said.

Projects under way include an expanded outpatients department, a new women’s health unit, a modernised laboratory and a new pharmacy department using robotic technology.

The coronary care and intensive therapy units are also being upgraded, while two new operating theatres are planned.

Future proposals include a renal unit, a helipad, a drone-based medical service and the long-term construction of a new hospital for Gozo.

Camilleri urged the graduates to practise medicine with compassion, integrity and humility.

The ceremony was also attended by representatives of the British High Commission, the University of Malta, Gozo General Hospital and the Gozo Business Chamber.

Queen Mary said its Malta campus had strengthened its links with the local healthcare and education sectors over the past five years.

Recent community initiatives included the donation of 70 computers to the Bishop’s Conservatory Secondary School in Gozo.