Godfrey Laferla, Dean, Faculty of Medicine and Surgery, University of Malta, lashes out at me (Postgraduate Medical Training In Malta, July 1) as he takes objection to my ideas.

Perhaps my greatest sin is that I believe that we should have full-time hospital consultants and full-time clinical lecturers as well as a full-time dean - all adequately remunerated, and deservedly.

We would then avoid the present situation - which is obviously open to abuse. In our present system we have a dean who has four jobs simultaneously: Dean, university professor, hospital consultant, and having to perform private practice in various clinics and private hospitals in order to earn a decent living.

His personal attack on me and on the RCSI (Royal College of Surgeons of Ireland) is unbecoming of a fellow surgeon - and the tone of his letter is enough to discourage colleagues from returning to Malta to work under his deanship.

A dean should be harnessing all the forces and ideas available - not lashing out or boycotting. Certainly none of his ideas over the years have solved the brain drain - indeed from his letter one could deduce the reasons why. I personally have no problem with St George's - indeed my daughter qualified through the St George's graduate course. I was happier for my daughter to qualify at St George's in London rather than the local Medical School - lest the sins of the father be visited on his children.

In my view, the dean's letter to this newspaper vindicates my apprehensions.