Editors' preface [Acta Anaesthesiologica Melitensis, volume 1, issue 4]

Abstract

Our Association while remaining a full fledged member of the World Federation of Societies of Anaesthesiologists (E17) has from this year been appointed a member of the European Association of Paediatric Anaesthetists and has been invited to the First European Congress held in Rotterdam. The Association celebrates this year the 10th anniversary of the establishment of the Intensive Therapy Unit in St. Luke's Hospital. This small department with a 500 yearly turn over has been constantly growing in monitoring appliances, ventilating equip- ment and personnel. This year's conference is dedicated to the Medical and Paramedical staff who run this department. The Association notes with pride the ever growing number of Maltese trainees in Anesthesia. In the third year is Dr. D. Spiteri, in the second year Dr. Marie Therese Licari, Dr. A. Padovani, Dr. M. Sammut and Dr. A. Sultana and in the first year Dr. C. Azzopardi, Dr. Laura Borg and Dr. Natalie Debono. The Association notes with regret the University of Malta's decision to demote the training of undergraduates in Anaesthesia by restricting the planned expansion in lec- tures and reducing the examination to part of a four subject one. Besides participating in Citizen Resuscitation Course organised conjointly with the St. John Ambulance Association, our members have helped the Medical Sports Association in manning stations for medical attention during the First Malta Marathon. Under the instigation of the Anaesthetic Department the Hospital Management Committee has directed that the senior casualty nurses receive training in advanced techniques of resuscitation by spending a period of time working in the theatres alongside the anaesthetists. Consonant with the Association's policy to broaden the scope of this island based anaesthetic community is the presence of noted English and Belgian speakers at this year's annual conference and also the publication of papers by Czech authors in the Association's Acta.