By Dr John Cachia (Department of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine & Surgery)
The Faculty of Medicine and Surgery of the University of Malta salutes the memory of one of its most humble and learned scholars since its establishment as the Collegio Medico on 25 May 1771. Prof Rizzo Naudi graduated in Malta in the early fifties and proceeded to specialise in Medicine in the UK. In his early career he served as a medical doctor in Malaysia, where he developed a special interest in tropical and infectious diseases and the sensitivity of public health challenges. He returned to St Luke’s Hospital in the mid-sixties as a medical specialist where he was much loved by staff, patients, and families. He was also very popular with students for his lectures and tutorials.
My personal friendship with Prof Rizzo Naudi goes back to my early years at the Ministry of Health and his active role on behalf of the Haemophilia Society and on behalf of a number of charities in the underdeveloped world. On the day he was appointed as Malta’s first Parliamentary Secretary for the Elderly in 1987, he landed in my office and asked me for a copy of my thesis on the challenges of caring for our senior citizens. We would spend many months discussing policy and action options for the elderly sector, and in all our discussions his prevailing approach was a determination to make a difference in the life of our elderly through the application of science and expertise, with a careful eye to detail and the relevance to the local cultural context.
The momentum of the changes that were to follow was an incredible sequence of achievements: fundamental reforms in all public services targeted at the elderly; wholesome refurbishment of St Vincent de Paule and other elderly residences; the opening of Zammit Clapp Hospital for geriatric rehabilitation; the establishment of the clinical department of geriatrics; the inauguration of the United Nations International Institute on Ageing.
These changes were supported by other visionary decisions particularly in the area of the academic advancement and professional development of nursing, allied health staff and caring and support staff. Prof Rizzo Naudi played a key role in the transformation of the Ministry for Health schools for nurses and paramedic staff into the Institute of Health Care of the University of Malta, which later became the Faculty of Health Sciences. Bachelors’, masters’ and PhD courses are today an established reality, but by no means a forgone conclusion in the early nineties. The opening of the pre-vocational school was the precursor of the carer courses at MCAST which were to allow a number of youngsters to follow the caring pathways.
Through his political engagement, Prof Rizzo Naudi became closely acquainted with the challenges of organising and managing health services. After the conclusion of a twinning training programme with the Health Service Management Centre of the University of Birmingham, Prof Rizzo Naudi strongly supported the development of health service management as a specialization within the University of Malta. This lead to the Department of Health Systems Management and Leadership within the Faculty of Health Sciences.
Following his retirement from the political scene, Prof Rizzo Naudi remained committed to his roots as a visionary academic and a humble and wise advisor. He was a true gentleman and a professional of rare human qualities. His landmark contributions to public health, health service management, the care of the elderly, and the academic advancement of health and caring professionals remain as his enduring legacy to Maltese society.