The Leader of the Opposition and Leader of the Nationalist Party, Dr Alex Borg, was welcomed to MedTech World Europe 2026 on Friday by Dr Dylan Attard, CEO and Co-Founder of MedTech World, before delivering a keynote address to an international audience of founders, investors, clinicians and industry leaders on the final day of the summit at the Mediterranean Conference Centre in Valletta.“Data is transforming medicine, making healthcare more predictive and preventive. The focus is shifting from simply treating illness to proactively keeping people healthier,” said Dr Borg.His address on the La Valette stage touched on a shift that runs through much of this year’s programme. Connected devices, wearables and new diagnostic tools are giving clinicians earlier insight into a patient’s health, opening the way for care that anticipates problems rather than responding once they arise.Dr Borg also spoke about the people behind medical technology, from the patients whose needs inspire new solutions to the founders, clinicians and researchers who work for years to bring them to market.“Behind every innovation is a human story that is waiting to be told,” he said.Following his keynote, Dr Borg moved to the exhibition floor, where he met start-ups and companies exhibiting at the summit and heard first-hand about the technologies they are developing. The floor brings together Maltese and international start-ups and companies working in areas such as surgical robotics, diagnostics, medical device cybersecurity and regulatory services.The visit gave Dr. Borg the opportunity to engage with an audience that is strongly international and senior. More than a quarter of those registered for this year’s summit are CEOs, founders or senior executives, with the United States forming the largest delegation from abroad, followed by the United Kingdom, Italy, France, Germany, the Netherlands and Israel.The final day of the summit also featured a panel on hospitals as investors, with the venture arms of US health systems including Tampa General Hospital and Cleveland Clinic, alongside sessions on regulation, artificial intelligence in medical devices and surgical robotics. The programme closes with the MedTech World Startup Pitch Competition this afternoon and the MedTech World Awards this evening.MedTech World was founded in Malta and today brings together start-ups, investors, clinicians and industry partners through summits in Europe, North America, the Middle East and Asia.MedTech World Europe 2026 forms part of MedTech Malta Week, which concludes on Saturday with the Surgical Disruptive Technology Summit. Next year, MedTech World Middle East takes place in Dubai on 23rd–25th March 2027, followed by MedTech World North America in West Palm Beach, Florida, on 5th–7th May 2027, before MedTech World Europe returns to Valletta on 10th–12th November 2027.Tag someone you know is interested•