The International Institute on Ageing, United Nations, Malta will be organising an International Short Training Programme in Medical Gerontology.

The programme, which is going to be held at the Imperial Hotel between Monday and 26 May, will be opened by Parliamentary Secretary in the Health, the Elderly and Community Care Ministry, Helen D’Amato, in the presence of INIA’s director, Prof. Frederick Fenech, deputy director Prof. Joseph Troisi, and programme coordinator, Dr Anthony Fiorini.

The objective of the programme is to stimulate discussion and understanding of the relationship between health and longevity from a life-course perspective, in the context of the highly complex and multifaceted nature of growing old in society.

This intensive two-week programme includes lectures, workshops and site-visits to Zammit Clapp Rehabilitation Hospital and St Vincent de Paule, Residential Home for the Elderly.

Seventeen participants hailing from Egypt, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Malta, Nepal, Philippines, Romania, Saudi Arabia, St. Lucia and Tunisia will be participating.

Apart from local experts, lecturing on the course are two international tutors, Associate Professor of Department of Medicine and Department of Geriatrics, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, US, Prof. Harrison Bloom, and professor of ageing and health and head of section, Department of Medicine, Ninewells Hospital and Medical School, University of Dundee in Scotland, Prof. Marion McMurdo.