Max Gibbons, a respected British orthopaedic surgeon known for his life-saving work in Malta, has passed away at the age of 67. He died on Friday after battling pancreatic cancer for nearly a year.

For over a decade, Professor Gibbons visited Malta regularly to perform specialist surgeries and lead clinics at Mater Dei Hospital. His expertise helped treat many Maltese patients with serious bone and soft tissue cancers, often saving lives. When cases were too complex to handle locally, he arranged for patients to receive treatment in Oxford.

Professor Gibbons was the director of the Sarcoma Unit at the Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre in Oxford, where he was recognised as one of the world’s leading experts in orthopaedic oncology.

He became a consultant in Oxford in 1996 and trained in several cities including London, Bath, Birmingham, Lyon, and Toronto. His ground-breaking research into sarcoma surgery earned him the prestigious title of Hunterian Professor of Surgery from the Royal College of Surgeons of England in 2016.