Will the Medical Association of Malta kindly pronounce itself on this?
Anthony Agius Decelis (see previous post) isn’t a medical doctor. So why is he billing himself/allowing the health ministry to bill him/encouraging the media to call him a ‘gerontologist’?
Surely a geronologist is a medical doctor who has specialised in the field of the ills of old age.
The Health Minister said to us that Agius Decelis “will be allowed to carry on with his private practice” because he will receive no remuneration for his work as the Health Minister’s ‘representative’ at the old people’s home, St Vincent de Paule.
But what is his private practice? The man is actually a paramedic, only we are not even sure what sort, or what it is he does.
I very much hope that he isn’t doing a doctor’s work when he isn’t one.
This is his untouched bio taken straight from the Labour Party’s candidate list on its election website.
“Anthony graduated in Informal Education-Youthwork-Managerial Science and Gerontologists at the University of Malta.”
What in heaven’s name does that mean?
“He now works as a paramedic at Mater Dei.”
So what private practice is the Health Minister talking about?
“After being Spokesperson for the Elderly, Dr.Joseph Muscat appointed him as Spokesperson for Food, Agriculture and Fisheries. Anthony serves with dedication, and always in co-ordination with all the farmers, villagers and fishermen – experts on his field.”
What was that again? I’m getting confused here.
AGIUS DECELIS TONY
Anthony Agius Decelis lives with his family in Mosta. He is married and has three children. Anthony graduated in Informal Education-Youthwork-Managerial Science and Gerontologists at the University of Malta. He now works as a paramedic at Mater Dei. Tony has been active in the Malta Labour Party as from the age of 13 years; he has worked in different sections of the Labour Party. He is honoured to have worked close to Mr. Mintoff, Dr. Karmenu Mifsud Bonnici and Dr. Alfred Sant, and now with Dr. Joseph Muscat. Loyalty towards the Labour Party is very important to him. In the last two and a half years he was Spokesperson for the Elderly. Anthony went to University of Malta to study on the elderly reading for a post graduate degree on the subject; he is now in his final studies for the Masters of Gerontology and Geriatrics. After being Spokesperson for the Elderly, Dr.Joseph Muscat appointed him as Spokesperson for Food, Agriculture and Fisheries. Anthony serves with dedication, and always in co-ordination with all the farmers, villagers and fishermen – experts on his field.
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“Hon. Agius Decelis graduated Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in Youth and Community Studies, in Informal Education and in Managerial Science from the University of Malta.
He is currently employed in the health sector.”
http://www.parlament.mt/agiusdecelis-anthony
You are confusing gerontology with geriatrics. Being a Geriatrician myself, I can tell you that you don’t need to have a medical degree to be a gerontologist. The latter deal with social and psychological aspects of the elderly. I am not saying that he is a “qualified” gerontologist but the Medical Council has no say in it.
Hi Daphne,
Following a quick Google search I found that Decelis has, this year, obtained a Master of Gerontology and Geriatrics. In his Google+ page he calls himself ‘gerontologu’ while in his Facebook page he writes:
Graduated in Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in Youth and Community Studies, in informal Education and in Managerial Science from the University of Malta. (my note: this does not make him a teaching professional)
I chose to work in the Health Sector as it gives me great satisfaction. I believe that a smile is enough to give consolation to patients recovering in hospital.
I work as an electro cardiographer, a member of multi-disciplinary team in cardiology.
I prefer this vocational work, even though I am qualified to work in education or in management. (my note: he’s not qualified to teach)
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Anthony-Agius-Decelis/109238369167204?sk=info
I think Anthony Decelis is a nurse who works at the angio-suite (cardiac lab) with cardiologists. There are many nurses who study and indeed teach gerontology at the Institute of Health.
If I am not mistaken, his name is Anthony Decelis, his wife is Agius Decelis. He apparently adopted it to be higher up on the ballot sheets.
Take it easy Daphne. With a geriatric cabinet like that, they need all the help they can get.
An old friend corrected me – he is actually an ECG technician and studied gerontology as a mature student.
A gerontologist is not a physician. A geriatrician is.
So ok, he doesn’t deal with the medical side but his patients are old people and he is doing an audit of St. Vincent de Paule’s home for the elderly.
I think it is MORE unethical because those who apply to enter the said home do no necessarily need medical treatment but a solution to the social aspect of aging which is the role of a gerontologist.
geriatricians are medical doctors. gerontology is the branch of sociology focusing on older persons
Hawwadni ha nifhmek. U kemm qed isib volontiera qalbhom tajba dal-gvern, il-gvern tal-karita’. Kulhadd ihawwad fil-borma u l-Prim Ministru jixxala l-Italja.
Nahseb ghalhekk il-laqgha tal-Cabinet ghamilha kull nhar ta’ Tlieta. Komda tkun weekend imsiefer u tirritorna lura t-Tnejn.
Nahseb il-prim ministru se jibda jiehu hafna weekend breaks.
Apparently he’s an ECG Technician at Mater Dei. Well, that’s almost the same thing as a doctor, ain’t it? They work in the same building…in one of those, what-da-ya-call? hospitals or something.
Nit-pickers…
Tbazwar naqra l’hawn u naqra l’hinn …
Meanwhile, in thetimesofcuckooland.com …
John Caruana
Today, 11:21
Mr. Agius Decelis is not a gerontologist – he is an ECG technician at Mater Dei Hospital.
Marion Storace
Today, 11:42
@ John Caruana – have you been living on cloud 9? Dr. Agius Decelis GRADUATED in gerontology but it seems you are not aware….better have your house in order and find a way how those unfortunate PN employees are going to get paid.
Just brilliant.
Does this mean I can lie on my CV when applying for civil service positions in Malta?
Maybe just a little embellishment will suffice. Seems this guy is quite good at it.
Or I could just say I’ve always supported Labour. Works every time. Works under PN, works under Labour.
“A medical doctor who has specialised in the field of the ills of old age” is a geriatrician.
Whatever this fellow’s real name is, he is neither a physician nor a geriatrician.
[Daphne – What is the private practice of a gerontologist?]
Organising tombola coffee mornings.
And urging people to vote Labour.
The private practice of a gerontologist, logically, would be, to study the habits of ageing people, and sell the reports.
In Malta Taghna Lkoll, it would mean, that he gets to decide who jumps the queue. As a volunteer, needless to say.
Agius Decelis possesses a Master in Gerontology and Geriatrics from the European Centre of Gerontology with a dissertation on ‘Social Exclusion and Older Persons: a Maltese Enquiry’ http://www.um.edu.mt/__data/assets/pdf_file/0006/171429/Master_Dissertations.pdf.
So, by definition, he’s both a gerontologist and geriatrician. However, I can’t really fathom how a non-practicing physician can become a geriatrician through a master degree. The Medical Association can illuminate us on this one.
How wrong you area. A gerontologist is not a geriatrician, and never will be, if first the person is not a medical doctor. With a Master’s degree in geriatrics and gerontology, now would be presumptuous to call oneself a gerontologist. It is only after one obtains one’s PhD and then publishes and continues to carry out research in the field that one can call oneself a gerontologist.
I can well imagine, Prof Phillipson (an eminent gerontologist) who is usually the external examiner at the European centre of gerontology how he must be laughing out loud, when one of the students he assesed calls himself a gerontologist
Is he old enough to be a geriatric?
Mr Agius Decelis isn’t even a nurse. He’s an ECG technician.
What’s really worrying about Agius Decelis’ ‘voluntary’ task as the minister’s representative at St Vincent de Paule is that he probably has had no first-hand experience in gerontology before this appointment.
This is his first experience in the field, and this after graduating as a Master in Gerontology and Geriatrics of the European Centre for Gerentology (the same centre that runs the University of the Third Age) in November 2012.
What a golden opportunity and kickstart for one starting a fresh private practice.
Are these things for real?
Unfortunately, the answer is YES! There is plenty more where that comes from.
There’s nothing voluntary about it. He is seconded and is getting the pay of an ECG technician.
He is not a geriatrician. You have to be a doctor.
Picking up pills from the loo bhall ministru tas-sawt. Awaiting with bated breath his voluntary forays……
How sweet this was like Konrad passing himself off as an engineer, and then when that failed as an accountant and then when that failed as a project manager.
Or like Joseph passing himself off as an economist.
Or like Edward Scicluna passing himself off as the financial services guru.
Or Karmenu passing himself off as a nice guy.
What a bunch of crooks.
An ECG TECHNICIAN is no paramedic. A gerontologist is no doctor but one who does a diploma/masters in gerontology.
Anyone can apply for this course and it is not under the Faculty of Medicine. A doctor working in geriatrics is called a geriatrician but these people use this terminology to make this technician feel important. Kindly do not confuse this one with an allied health PROFESSIONAL.