President’s report

Welcome to the website of the Association of Anaesthetists of Malta.

I feel honoured to be welcoming you in my capacity as the new president, and the first female president, of our association. I wish to begin by taking this opportunity to thank the outgoing president Dr Noel Borg for his enormous contribution to our association. It is an honour for me to be the president of an association with such an outstanding reputation for the services it offers to anaesthetists in Malta and the work it undertakes for the general good of our speciality.

The AAM is the professional body responsible for anaesthesia in Malta at all stages of the anaesthetist’s career. As anaesthetists, we have the overall responsibility for patients’ wellbeing before, during and after surgery. The AAM represents and ensures the quality of patient care by safeguarding standards in the three specialties of anaesthesia, intensive care and pain medicine. Advances in invasive radiology, cardiology and other specialities requiring anaesthetic services are leading to a rapid increase in the demands on the anaesthetist. It is therefore imperative that quality of care retains its value despite this ever expanding demand for increase in service provision.

Anaesthesia is a complex, intense speciality, and burnout in anaesthetists is a well-documented fact and certainly not uncommon. A survey carried out by the AAM among all anaesthetists working in Malta revealed that a significant number of respondents are at risk of burnout. The AAM prides itself on taking this issue of burnout among its members very seriously. It will continue to do so throughout this term in office.

Members of our association are well represented in international fora such as the European Society of Anaesthesiologists and the World Federation of Anaesthetists. Some members have leading roles in structures of these fora and work unremittingly to ensure that anaesthesia remains a dynamic and appealing medical speciality.

I would like to conclude by quoting our association’s logo “ Ad vitam protegendam, dolorem amovendum”, protecting life, defeating pain, that unites us all in the appreciation of the noble and bold profession that we form part of.

Dr Marique Sciberras
President of AAM.