Parents of children who suffer from respiratory or kidney problems can breathe more easily as two new paediatric consultants have started working from Mater Dei Hospital.

Children who have kidney transplants now no longer need to travel to the UK four times a year, while children with chronic lung problems such as severe asthma and cystic fibrosis can receive highly specialised treatment and care.

Following a period of intense training in the UK, Patrick Sammut, who first started working as a paediatrician in 1995, is treating children with complex respiratory problems.

Valerie Said Conti, who began her career in 1990, is treating children who have complex renal problems.

“We are now offering a more focused service,” Dr Sammut said.

“In the past, respiratory problems used to be dealt with by all the paediatricians here at the hospital. But there are some problems which require that extra input and that extra knowledge and experience.”

Dr Said Conti said the same applies to young patients with kidney problems. Over the years, children with renal problems were managed by different teams. These are now referred to her, ensuring patients receive an opinion from a doctor focused on kidneys.

Kidney problems in children are relatively common in Malta. Since antenatal services have improved, doctors are able to identify renal problems before the baby is born, increasing a paediatrician’s workload.

As the children grow older, Dr Said Conti added, other problems arise such as infection, inflammation and kidney failure.

“Our clinics are full and we’ve only just started,” she said.

Dr Said Conti’s work is making a big difference for families of children with kidney transplants. Children would need to go up four times a year to Great Ormond Street Hospital where they received their new kidneys.

Some children were treated when they were 18 months old so would need to keep travelling to the London for 10 years or more.

There are some problems which require that extra input and that extra knowledgeand experience

Since Dr Said Conti returned from her training these visits have stopped, relieving a lot of families from the added stress of frequent travelling.

“Some think that once a child receives a kidney, everything is sorted out. But they need regular tests and scans and they are on medication for life,” she said.

“If they’re unwell, the medication might not be absorbed well and there is a chance that their kidney might give them trouble. So these families are very anxious.”

Respiratory problems are also quite common among Maltese children.

Dr Sammut said they can be divided into two: acute respiratory problems (which are very common and experience a big spike in winter) and chronic problems.

He deals with lung conditions such as severe asthmatics, cystic fibrosis (a disease that causes the body to produce heavy mucus), bronchiectasis (in which damage to the airways causes them to widen) and sleeping disorders such as obstructive sleep apnoea.

Dr Sammut also performs bronchoscopies where he looks down the airways. Bronchoscopies in children are more tricky because of their smaller size.

Dr Sammut said his decision to become a respiratory paediatrician was a big risk.

In 2006, he uprooted his entire family – his wife and three children – to settle in Cambridge for five years while he completed his specialised training.

“Psychologically, it was a big step. One and a half years into my course I had to resign, as all doctors are required to do if we are away for that time. That was the point of no return because I had no guarantee of having my post when I returned. It was a leap in the dark.

“Most of us face a big dilemma. We want to study and, by doing so, we invest in ourselves but also, at the end of the day, we invest in our country and in the patients.

“We’re not asking for payment while we’re abroad specialising. All we need is assurance that when we’re finished, a post would be waiting for us. That would boost our morale and avoid a lot of psychological stress.

“But we don’t regret becoming paediatric consultants. Paediatrics is the best speciality because our patients are the best.”