Students complete GHA summer work placements

The Government and GHA presented 37 students from Bayside, Westside, Prior Park and the Gibraltar College certificates for successfully completing their 2025 GHA Summer Placement Programme, a two-week programme designed to provide aspiring healthcare professionals with real-world experience in a clinical setting.

The certificates were presented by the Minister for Health and Care, Gemma Arias-Vasquez, in the garden of St Bernard’s Hospital and in the presence of GHA Director General Kevin McGee.

Applications opened earlier this year, targeting students intending to enter healthcare degree programmes in the coming years. Each student was allocated to departments aligned with their indicated areas of interest.

One of the students taking part was Eliza Malik, a student in her final year of A-levels, who spent her summer gaining medical work experience by shadowing doctors across various specialties.

“I wanted experience of how it is to work as a doctor, especially in the GHA,” she told the Chronicle.

“I wanted to look into different specialties, see how the work life is, see what they do, so I can look into studying medicine in the future.”

She expressed a particular interest in general practice and surgery, having spent time in a day surgery unit.

Another was Gayatri Gujjari who shadowed various medical professionals including doctors, GPs, surgeons, radiologists, and ward staff.

This experience helped her decide on a future specialization in either surgery or radiology. She is drawn to surgery for the in-depth understanding of the human anatomy it provides, and to radiology for the insight into the human body through diagnostic imaging.

“I think I'd like to do surgery or radiology,” she said.

“I know some people might not like the idea of cutting into people but I think, with surgery, operating on the patient allows you to get an insight into the full human anatomy, which was actually interesting for me.”

“You learn a lot of that when you're doing when you need to become a surgeon. So that interests me a lot,” she said.

“As well as in radiology, you can get an insight into inside the human body with X-rays and they're really interesting to look at and analyse.”

Juliana Lobo also enjoyed her two weeks at the GHA and is considering a career in paediatric nursing, drawn to the field because she loves working with children and finds joy in their recovery and happiness.

Mr McGee spoke to the students at the event and praised them for how well they did and stated he hoped they will come back and form part of the workforce within the GHA.

“We are delighted to open our doors to bright local youngsters interested in joining us upon completion of their university studies,” he later told the Chronicle.

“These two-week placements are an excellent opportunity for students to gain early exposure and valuable insights that will help them to better understand the pressures and commitments that are part of a career at St Bernard’s Hospital or any other GHA section.”

“This experience will also assist them in making informed decisions before committing to a specific healthcare pathway at university.”

“I would also like to express my appreciation to Darrien Ramos, Senior Executive Officer (GHA Workforce), who has once again ably led this initiative, and to Andrew Gordon and other educational leads instrumental in the success of the placement programme.”

For her part Mrs Arias-Vasquez said that it was Government policy to, in so far as possible, recruit locals into the GHA.

“I was therefore very keen to ensure the GHA held a summer student programme for aspiring health professionals.”

“It is very important that we invest in our young people, providing them with opportunities such as this one to gain exposure and experience that will inspire them to return to the GHA as qualified professionals.”

She told the A-level students that the classmates she was in Westside with in 1994 are colleagues she now sees on the hospital corridors; doctors, a financial director, and an array of other medical professionals.

“I very much hope that many of the students who took part in our summer programme this year will go on to become the doctors, nurses and allied health professionals we will all one day depend on,” she said.