Deputy Prime Minister and Health Minister Ian Borg has visited the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, as Malta explores potential collaboration with one of the world’s most highly regarded healthcare institutions.Borg spent the day at the hospital, which is led by Maltese president and CEO Dr Gianrico Farrugia, and highlighted that several other Maltese doctors also work at the institution. Mayo Clinic says Farrugia has led the organisation since 2019 and will complete his tenure at the end of 2026.Discussions during the visit touched on how new technology and artificial intelligence are changing healthcare, as well as what Malta could learn from the clinic’s approach and opportunities for potential collaboration with Maltese hospitals.AI has become a major focus at Mayo Clinic. Earlier this year, the institution announced a collaboration with Microsoft to develop a healthcare-specific AI model aimed at supporting areas such as earlier diagnosis, personalised treatment and complex clinical decision-making.The clinic has also been integrating AI-powered tools directly into healthcare. In 2025 alone, 22 solutions developed through the Mayo Clinic Platform were introduced into clinical practice, including technology supporting earlier detection of prostate cancer recurrence and tools designed to give nurses more time to focus on patients.Borg described the visit as an opportunity for “learning and exploring collaboration for better care in Malta”, pointing towards the possibility of closer links between the Mayo Clinic and Malta’s healthcare sector.The Mayo Clinic has been named the world’s best hospital by Newsweek for eight consecutive years, according to the institution.Would you like to see Maltese hospitals collaborate more closely with institutions such as the Mayo Clinic?Instagram Video: borg_ian•