About
Weight Loss Surgery Malta was set up in January of 2019 with the aim of delivering high quality weight loss services that are personalised, affordable.
We aim to provide assistance at every stage of your weight loss journey.
We pride ourselves in being available to assist you not only up to the point of any intervention but for the rest of your life.
Meet The Surgeon
Mr Benedict Axisa graduated as a medical doctor from the University of Malta in 1991. He emigrated to the UK to further his studies in 1997. He worked as a Research Fellow at Leicester University for 2 years and was awarded an MD doctorate for his research on the stability of atherosclerotic plaque.
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He subsequently went on to specialise as an Upper GI surgeon in Cambridge, UK. He furthered his training as a specialist Upper GI and Weight loss surgeon in Sunderland and was also awarded a Fellowship in Bariatric surgery in Belgium by the Ethicon corporation. Here he trained under the tutelage of Dr Bruno Dillemans at the world-renowned centre for bariatric surgery in AZ Sint-Jan in Bruges.
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He returned to Malta in 2012 and established the bariatric service at Mater Dei hospital where he heads a team that works closely with dieticians, psychologists, endocrine and respiratory specialists to provide a comprehensive service to obesity patients. He is a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of England and a Visiting Senior Lecturer at the University of Malta. He is also a member of IFSO, the International Federation of Surgeons for Obesity.
He firmly believes that bariatric surgery under the care of an expertly trained surgeon has the ability to transform lives.
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He is married with three children. He enjoys reading, gardening, cooking and the countryside.
Meet our Dietician
Ms Ariana Zarb graduated from the University of Malta in 2016 with a Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Applied Food and Nutritional Science. In 2017, she also completed a Postgraduate Diploma in Dietetics and obtained her registration as a Dietitian. She is currently in her final year of studies for a Master of Science in the Applied Professional Practice of Dietetics with the University of Plymouth in the UK.
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Ariana started working as a Registered Dietitian at Mater Dei hospital in 2017. She provides advice to people suffering from various issues such as difficulty losing or gaining weight, diabetes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, food intolerances and allergies, renal and liver problems and eating disorders. She has received training from the UK for specialization and research in bariatric dietetics and thus is working towards making bariatric dietetics her area of special interest. She focuses on helping clients achieve a healthy lifestyle for the long-term rather than following short-term diets with temporary results. Each consultation is individualized according to the needs of the client and takes into account various factors such as budget, preparation time, job, lifestyle and free time.
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She encourages her clients to maintain a healthy lifestyle by incorporating other areas of health such as mindfulness, physical activity and motivational techniques, thus providing a complete package towards long-term weight loss and maintenance.
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Meet our Psychologist
Ingrid Baldacchino graduated as a Social Worker in 2006. She further pursued her studies in the following years, while working as a social worker with vulnerable families and obtained her Masters in Gestalt Psychotherapy in 2011.
Her experience includes working with persons with eating disorders, body dysmorphia and general health anxiety. She has received training and worked in the field of trauma, addiction and bereavement and loss. She has therapeutically helped persons who have reached out for therapy for self-growth, to ameliorate their self-esteem, boost their confidence and address self-image issues and to enjoy a better general sense of psychological wellbeing. She is a specialised and accredited Trainer in Positive Parenting and has also received training in facilitating co-parenting groups for parents undergoing separation or who are separated. She has supervised many students in both their training practice and their dissertations in social work and psychotherapy studies. She also sat on various professional boards and is currently part of the Social Work Professions Board and the National Human Trafficking Task Force.