An 84-year old man died at his home after the police were called in to discharge him from Mater Dei Hospital earlier this month, a PN MP has told Parliament.

PN MP and party spokesperson for active ageing Paula Mifsud Bonnici said in Parliament on Tuesday that the man had been at Mater Dei Hospital for a number of months but refused to go home when he was given a discharge notice.

The incident happened on 3 November, Mifsud Bonnici said.

Mifsud Bonnici said that instead of calling up his siblings to convince their brother to go home with them, the hospital called enforcement authorities “and got him out of Mater Dei escorted by the police.”

She continued by saying that because of the hard time that the man had been given, he died later that night at home.

“Yes I know of the problem that exists at mater Dei…they wanted to send him home”, she said with reference to the Malta Union of Midwives and Nurses’ August directives which mean that no additional residents are admitted to St Vincent De Paul unless all wards are attended by a minimum of two nurses during the overnight shifts.

After the man died at home, Mifsud Bonnici said that the “Police had to intervene” accordingly.

She continued by appealing to the Ministry for solutions to the situation.

Questions about the matter have been sent to the Health Ministry.