Seven doctors this morning were accused of the involuntary homicide of Aimee Abela, a two- year-old-girl, through negligence and misdiagnosis, at Mater Dei Hospital two years ago. All pleaded not guilty to the charge. 

Lawyers Michael Sciriha and Joe Giglio asked the court to ban the publication of their names. Dr Giglio said that the proceedings should be heard behind closed doors.

Lawyer Arthur Azzopardi, representing the victims' family, objected to the request saying that the doctors had continued to practice.  

Dr Giglio said that people accused in court were condemned by public perception.

Dr Azzopardi said that the ban on the names would mean the whole hospital would be blamed.

Magistrate Antonio Micallef Trigona agreed to a ban on the names.

The Magistrates Court rules that there was enough evidence to place seven doctors under indictment on charges of negligence.

The doctors, five women and two men, were charged with misdiagnosing Aimee Abela’s meningitis, deeming it to have been a case of gastric flu.

Dr Michael Sciriha, representing six of the seven doctors, said that two of his clients, both women doctors should be freed immediately because court expert Dr Mario Scerri had said when testifying that they had nothing to do with the death that occurred on 27 February 2011.

But the court, presided by Magistrate Tonio Micallef Trigona, ruled that it is too early not to place all the doctors under the bill of indictment.

Court-appointed expert Forensic Pathologist Mario Scerri testified that he had carried out an autopsy and ruled that the girl had died from meningitis. The child had been vomiting and was given Voltaren and taken to St James. She was examined, given medication, and sent home.

The next day she still had a high temperature and a doctor recommended that she is given motilium. Later she was taken to Mater Dei Hospital for dehydration. 

The girl was initially alert when first seen at Mater Dei. She was diagnosed to have a bacterial infection but her urine sample was not taken for analysis, Dr Scerri said. She was not given antibiotics.

The girl later died and an autopsy was ordered. 

Dr Scerri said it the cause of death was established to have been bacterial meningitis.

When called to testify before Dr Scerri during the magisterial inquiry several of the accused exercised their right to silence.

He said that none of the doctors had performed a septic screen test on the patient.