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Kurt Sansone
The magisterial inquiry into the death of seven-year old Andrea Massa at St Luke’s Hospital reveals serious medical and administrative shortcomings that could have impacted on the child’s eventual demise, suffice to say that for three whole days after the appendicitis operation nobody seems to have assumed responsibility for the boy’s worsening condition.
Over the past few weeks MaltaToday has published excerpts from the magisterial inquiry into the incident and the eventual compilation of evidence against a paediatric consultant indicating the serious shortcomings that could have contributed to the boy’s death.
Although the focus has been the paediatric consultant under whose care Andrea was, the compilation of evidence also sheds doubts on the surgeon who operated on the boy.
According to evidence given by the superintendent of St Luke’s Hospital during the compilation of evidence, the surgeon’s name was nowhere to be found on the hospital’s roster sheet in the days after the operation.
“I am looking at the rosters exhibited in Court and confirm that for the period Saturday 24 February to Tuesday 27 February the surgeon that operated on the boy does not appear on the roster,” the superintendent said under oath.
It may seem to be a small detail in an otherwise complex case but the surgeon’s absence in that period means that from Saturday 24 February, three days after the operation and when Andrea’s medical condition had already deteriorated, until Monday late at night, it is unclear who was responsible for Andrea’s care.
The surgeon confirmed under oath that she failed to administer antibiotics after the appendicitis operation. A second dose of antibiotics ordered by the paediatric consultant was also not administered.
Serious doubts were shed in the magisterial inquiry on the authenticity of the sickness certificate produced by the paediatric consultant since it is unclear when his last day of work was. The paediatrician claims it was Saturday 24 February but the sickness certificate has two numbers scribbled on each other. Furthermore, the replacement consultant who was to take over Andrea’s medical case after the paediatrician was out on sick leave only got to know of the boy’s precarious condition on Monday late at night.
The magisterial inquiry had found enough evidence for criminal proceedings to start against the paediatric consultant. “The consultant in this case always rested on the decisions of other doctors without bothering to verify for himself, as he was obliged to do. This is nothing more than an abdication of his duties,” Magistrate Abigail Lofaro concluded.
Eventually, during the compilation of evidence under Magistrate Consuelo Scerri Herrera, more evidence was produced indicating serious shortcomings by the paediatric consultant, but Attorney General Anthony Borg Barthet later decided to stop all legal proceedings decreeing a nolle prosequi. The consultant has never been brought to justice.
kurt@newsworksltd.com
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