Unsurpassed qualities

Allow me to add my voice to the chorus of readers who have expressed their enthusiastic endorsement of the unsurpassed qualities of Alex Manché, a living monument to all that should characterise a competent, hard-working and patient-oriented surgeon. After my operation last year I had written in his praise and that of the CTS unit.

Mr Manché is clearly a household name and he is equally loved and respected by rich and poor, young and elderly. The measure of his excellence as a skilful performer in the operating theatre is only matched by his caring attention to each single patient regardless, both during and after the crucial event of open-heart surgery. He is a godsend to Malta.

My own by-pass operation presented its particular daunting aspects but Mr Manché triumphed over the difficulties that arose and he guided my recovery and followed my progress beyond the call of duty. Without going into details I can vouch for the selfless professional dedication of this gentleman - in and outside his working hours, demonstrated in several ways during my rehabilitation period. To the point that in the end I looked upon him more as a loving brother than my heart surgeon. This skilful combination of talent and dedication makes Mr Manché a hero in my eyes and in those of the hundreds who have experienced him, many of whom I know personally.

The issues raised by the Medical Association of Malta concerning parity of salaries for other personnel working in the same field are not something I feel entitled to discuss, though I feel that in Mr Manché's case account must be taken of his unique economic worth to the country, the several doctors he has trained to become very competent heart surgeons, other hospital staff he's trained over the years and the way he's organised the CTS section where efficiency and friendliness bears his stamp. In my view, should Mr Manché decide to leave, things will never be the same again.