A couple are suing the State for damages after losing what would have been their firstborn child because they said hospital staff were more interested in their money.
The couple, a Romanian woman and her Serbian partner, had been given 6 June as the expected due date for delivery of their daughter. It was a problem-free pregnancy, but tragically, the child died inside the mother's womb while hospital staff were allegedly "more concerned with sorting out payment issues" because the father-to-be was not from the EU.
In a judicial protest filed against the Director General of Health Services, the Chief Government Medical Officer, the Prime Minister, the Health Minister, his Permanent Secretary, the CEO at Mater Dei Hospital, the Director (Nursing Services) and the Attorney General, the couple are claiming damages, insisting that the loss of their child was caused through imprudence and a lack of diligence and care by hospital staff and the authorities directly or indirectly responsible for the staff.
The judicial protest does not explain how the alleged negligence actually led to the death of the child, however and hospital sources told the MaltaToday that in such cases, payment is usually sought after treatment is given.
The protesting couple pointed out that the mother, as an EU national, held a European Health Insurance Card which entitled her to free medical treatment or reduced fees in case of emergency care in public hospitals.
In spite of this, the judicial protest reads, the staff at Mater Dei Hospital appeared to have focused on the payment issues and made "no effort to control or address the situation" brought to their attention by the expectant couple, the protest read.
Alleging that professional negligence and discriminatory treatment towards non-Maltese nationals led to the death of their unborn child, the parents asked the protested parties to liquidate damages within 15 days, reserving the right to further legal action.
Lawyers Natalino Caruana De Brincat and Ivan Mifsud signed the judicial protest.