The temptation to cut costs in the health sector could have a negative effect on healthcare, Josanne Vassallo warned yesterday.

Healthcare provision was expensive and, at times, there was a temptation to cut corners to make ends meet, she said, adding that cost-cutting could place professionals in an untenable situation where they would not be able to maximise patient safety and quality care.

During her graduation speech at the Jesuits’ church in Valletta, Prof. Vassallo, from the Faculty of Medicine and Surgery, also spoke about the frustration triggered by a lack of training opportunities. This, together with “overly slow career progression”, could make people disgruntled and apathetic.

She urged graduates from the Faculty of Medicine and Surgery and the Faculty of Dental Surgery to adhere to the highest ethical principles and codes of practice. The price paid when people tried to advance through dishonest and unethical practices cancelled the material benefit, she warned.

PhD graduate Robert Formosa, who also spoke at the ceremony, encouraged his peers not to sit on their laurels but engage in a lifelong learning path.

Faculty of Dental Surgery
Bachelor of Dental Surgery
Sponsor: Prof. Nikolai J. Attard
William Borg, Gabrielle Cordina, Ann De Gaetano, Cher Farrugia, Ghaida Kamal and Sarah Vella.

Faculty of Medicine and Surgery
Doctor of Medicine and Surgery
Sponsor: Prof. Godfrey Laferla
Pierre Agius, Ali Alandaleeb, Audrey Aquilina, Caroline Attard, Joseph Anthony Attard, Stephanie Azzopardi, Mohammed F.A. Bahman, Christopher Barbara, Gianluca Bezzina, Fabian Bonello, John Bonello, Anne Marie Bonnici Mallia, Michael Bonnici Mallia, James Saviour Borg, Neville Borg, Emma Louise Brincat, Michelle Bugeja, Raphael Buttigieg, Stefan Buttigieg, Mark Cachia Markham, Christian Camilleri, Francesca Camilleri, Ryan Camilleri, Edward Caruana, Eloise Caruana, Jessica Casey, Claire Ann Cassar, Mark Philip Cassar, Joshua Chetcuti, David Cini, Silvaine Marie Dalli, Michelle Darmanin, Keith Debono, Samuel Debono, Maria Deguara, Alicia Dimech, Nathan Edwards, Juan Ellul Pirotta, James Farrugia, Michael Edward Farrugia, Andrea Luca Fenech, Anne Fenech, Doriella Galea, Gabriel James Galea, Samuel Anthony Galea, Daniel Laurence Gatt, Daphne Gatt, Yanika Gatt, Michael Ghisel, Marlon Harmsworth, Matthew Lapira, Kurt Magri Gatt, Samuel Meilak, Ilona Rita Mercieca, Audrey Micallef, Lara Angelle Micallef, Stephen Micallef Eynaud, Adrian Mifsud, Annalisa Montebello, Katya Muscat, Andre Navarro, Carla Papagiorcopulo, Jaafer Qasem, Christopher Rolé, Veronica Said Pullicino, Andrew Sammut, Gabrielle Scicluna, Ramona Rita Sultana, Nikita Taliana, Paul Torpiano, Christos Tsouras, Carl Tua, Lara Vassallo, Rachel Vella Critien, Martina Wismayer, Janica Xuereb and Audrey Ann Zammit Dimech*.

Master of Pharmacy
Sponsor: Prof. Godfrey Laferla
Adrian Agius, Marie Claire Aquilina, Sean Ryan Atkins, Daniela Attard, Jaclyn Azzopardi, Sarah Baldacchino, Stephanie Marie Bezzina, Angie Marie Brincat, Katya Busuttil, Suzanne Buttigieg, Deborah Cachia, Florinda Camilleri, Stephen Camilleri, Marija Carmen Carbonaro, Maria Cassar, Julienne Ciantar, Ramona Cini, Daphne Christine Coleiro, Lisa Cuschieri, Aaron Demanuele, Luke Doublet Meagher, Deborah Louise Farrugia, Daniela Fenech, M’colette Galea, Lara Giudice, Alexandra Grima, Lawrence Mayo, Annemarie Mercieca, Caroline Mercieca, Chantelle Micallef, Michael Miller, Martina Muscat, Corinne Muscat Terribile, Vanessa Petroni, Bernard Soler, Maria Spiteri, Bianca Maria Stivala, Anne Marie Zammit, Kimberly Zammit and Ruth Zerafa.

Master of Science in Pharmacy
Sponsor: Prof. Godfrey Laferla
Asmaa Abdul-Aziz, Alison Brincat, Kathlene Cassar, Judith Fenech, Caroline Grima and Jasmine Vella.

Master of Science
Sponsor: Prof. Godfrey Laferla
Marisa Bugeja.

Master of Science in Biomedical Sciences
Sponsor: Prof. Godfrey Laferla
Angelique Camilleri, Amal Mohammed Daw and Alexandra Fiott.

Master of Science in Pharmacology/Clinical Pharmacology
Sponsor: Prof. Godfrey Laferla
Cheryl Aquilina, Muriel Bellizzi, Dianne Butler, Paula Cardona Xuereb, Thomas Joseph Vella, Claire Marie Zarb and Natalie Rita Zerafa.

Master of Science in Public Health Medicine
Sponsor: Prof. Godfrey Laferla
Marina Fedotova and Joseph Grech.

Master of Philosophy
Sponsor: Prof. Godfrey Laferla
Caroline Jane Magri and Cecilia Mercieca.

Doctor of Philosophy
Sponsor: Prof. Godfrey Laferla
Robert Formosa.

* In absentia

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