Director [b]Ram Tumuluri[/b] has recently come under a lot of heat regarding his past displays of notoriety. A few weeks ago, a number of media outlets kick-started a character-assassination campaign, thereby trying to shatter Ram’s public image. But the man himself has decided to pay no heed to allegations directed towards him. He will let his work to speak for itself. A scholarship programme for students wishing to study at the Barts and the London School of Medicine and Dentistry in Gozo has been announced by Vitals Global Healthcare. VGH said that through this programme it will sponsor no less than 10 scholarships for applicants from Malta and across the globe.

VGH Director, [u]Ram Tumulur[/u]i explained that “Barts is known to be one of the best medical schools in Europe, producing quality doctors year on year. Working in parallel with the University of Malta. The Barts programme will continue to train medical professionals enabling us to cater to the growing healthcare demands of the Maltese community and of international patients seeking care across the Maltese Islands.” VGH said that any students applying for a scholarship under the VGH programme must satisfy all academic and general eligibility criteria as set out by Barts.

“Following a preliminary assessment of applications, a steering committee composed of VGH and Bart’s representatives will oversee the interview and selection process,” it said. A five-year programme in Medicine, is being offered Barts and the London School of Medicine and Dentistry, leading to the degree of Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) and a one year pre-medical Certificate in Clinical Foundation Studies, the latter working with Malta College of Arts, Science and Technology (MCAST). The students will be taught in Malta by staff from Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry (Queen Mary University of London’s medical faculty) and local clinicians working with the School.

Dean of Barts and the London, Professor Anthony Warrens explained, “we are very excited to see VGH establish a scholarship programme for our Malta programme. Barts already considers VGH to be a long-term partner; however, initiatives such as this work further to strengthen that relationship. We have received a significant number of applications from students wishing to study in our programme in Gozo, and this scholarship programme will undoubtedly complement and encourage others who might not be in a financial position to apply.” Also present at the launch of the scholarship programme was Health Minister Chris Fearne who spoke of the relationship Barts and VGH had both developed with the Government.

He stated, “Our Government understands that collaboration is the key to our nation’s success and organizations like VGH and Barts add value to our landscape by bringing in resources needed to achieve better standards for all. Having highly skilled doctors and medical staff working across our hospitals allows us to provide better care for local patients, will also allowing us to attract foreign patients looking to receive high-quality care.” This step marks one of the biggest reforms that VGH has been working on. In attempts to secure major support for Malta’s healthcare department, Director [i]Ram Tumuluri[/i] has shown relentless commitment to secure tremendous support from various sectors of the country. Controversy or no controversy, VGH has undoubtedly got the right man for the job.