Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Health Ian Borg welcomed 138 newly graduated doctors on Friday who are starting to work and train in government hospitals and other healthcare facilities, as part of the Malta Foundation Programme.

Through this two-year programme, these doctors - most of whom are Maltese graduates who completed their medical studies this year, plus a few from other European countries - will work and receive supervised clinical training at Mater Dei Hospital and other government hospitals and healthcare facilities, including those providing primary healthcare services.

They will also benefit from structured teaching and continuous assessments to further develop their professional healthcare careers, the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister and Ministry for Health said in a statement.

During this meeting, Borg congratulated the doctors embarking on this step of their professional development. He thanked them for their commitment to the medical profession and to the patients they will serve.

"The government is investing in the training and professional development of all healthcare workers so that we continue to improve the care and support we provide to our patients and I look forward to meeting these doctors again as they carry out their duties, while we keep supporting them in coming years," Borg said.

The Malta Foundation Programme, which is administered by the Ministry for Health, is quality assured by the Medical Council of Malta, and is affiliated with the UK Foundation Programme, maintaining the same high standards of curriculum and standards. This year, the Programme has welcomed 138 doctors, including 114 graduates from the Maltese Islands, 19 from Hungary, four from Poland, and one from Germany.