Dr Paul Vassallo Agius was a highly accomplished and respected medical specialist, who left an invaluable and living legacy in the practice and teaching of paediatrics in Malta.
After graduating from the University of Malta, he held several posts in paediatrics in the UK before moving back to St Luke’s Teaching Hospital where he shouldered a heavy clinical load and provided an excellent service.
During this time, it was my honour and privilege to have known him and to have worked closely with him as the other consultant paediatrician at St Luke’s, where we worked virtually single-handedly with the newly qualified pre-registration junior staff. Over the years, we also collaborated in several scientific publications.
In clinical practice, Paul rarely used complex treatments when simpler ones were available, and they often proved superior. His particular interest was paediatric cardiology, at a time when diagnostic technology was still in its infancy and when patients had to be referred for surgery in the UK.
He was an excellent clinical diagnostician, respected by colleagues and staff, as well as a popular teacher with students. Paul had a genuine concern for the welfare of his patients and their families, had a sharp analytical mind, and set high professional and ethical standards.
In 1977, as a result of the protracted dispute between the Labour government and the Medical Association of Malta (MAM), he was − together with other union members like myself − dismissed from government service. Following this, he left for Kuwait where he practised for many years. When the dispute was resolved in 1987, he returned to Malta and was reinstated in his previous post.
Being of gentle disposition and somewhat reserved in manner, he always struck me for his quiet wisdom, his wit and impish sense of humour, and his special fondness for sharing funny anecdotes. His many topics of conversation included, among others, quantum physics and cosmology, and he often enjoyed asking and tackling questions that had no easy answers! He was a loving husband and family man, and always remained unassuming and considerate towards others.
Paul was an interesting person to know and to work with. For that, he will long be remembered. My heartfelt condolences to his children Joseph, Susanne and Robert and his grandchildren.
Goodbye Paul! May the merciful Lord give you a safe lodging and peace at last.