Updated | Internal investigation over Australian family’s claims of hospital negligence

Updated at 12:53pm

An internal investigation into the case of an Australian family claiming negligence on behalf of Maltese doctors who damaged their baby's artery is ongoing, confirmed the Health Ministry on Tuesday.

The Seguna family had filed a complaint with Mater Dei Hospital claiming Maltese doctors damaged their baby's artery while treating the boy for a chest infection.

The family were in Malta on holiday last year when the seven-month-old baby had to be hospitalised because of a chest infection. Recounting their story to the Australian broadcast news portal, 7NEWS, the heartbroken mother says doctors in Malta failed to report their child needed urgent medical care abroad to repair the damaged artery.

As a result, when the baby was eventually flown for treatment to the UK, doctors there had to amputate the leg because too much time had passed.

“Clinical decisions at Mater Dei Hospital are taken at the discretion of the caring clinicians,” a ministry spokesperson told MaltaToday.

“Mater Dei Hospital offers comprehensive health services locally but when clinicians indicate that patients require very specialized care not available locally, the hospital has arrangements in place with foreign specialized hospitals to send patients for treatment/surgery abroad, including, if need be, urgently.” 

Baby Zayn now at 10 months has recovered and his parents hope he will live a full life despite the amputated leg (Photo: Supplied to 7NEWS)

The story starts with what was supposed to be a 'sunny Mediterranean holiday' which quickly turned into a nightmare after their now 10-month-old baby boy’s leg "had to be amputated below the knee after a Maltese medical team’s crucial mistake.”

Zayn Seguna was with his family in Malta in November, then aged seven months, when his parents took him to Mater Dei Hospital to be treated for bronchiolitis.

“It breaks my heart... I feel like they (Maltese doctors) destroyed his life,” the mother of young Zayn, Joanne Seguna said.

His mum said doctors had admitted to damaging an artery while inserting a central line during Zayn’s treatment. This resulted in restricting blood flow and extensive muscle and tissue damage.

“They hit an artery which they realised straight away because his leg went pale, cold, changed colour straight away,” she told the news portal.

The child was also given Heparin, a blood thinner, according to the mother, as a blood clot had formed.

“On day four they told me they don’t have a kid’s vascular surgeon and said he’s going to have to go to the United Kingdom to have it looked at and repaired,” Joanne said.

The next day, the family was flown out of the country via air ambulance for emergency surgery. Within hours, Zayn underwent surgery at the Great Ormond Street Hospital in London to restore blood flow.

Doctors in London hoped at the time, they’d see improvements in Zayn’s leg.

However, because of the extent of muscle and tissue damage, they decided the lower half needed to be removed, the mother added, with the surgeon telling her this situation should have been looked at before.

Upon their arrival in Australia, the parents filed a complaint with Mater Dei, and they are still waiting for the hospital’s answer.

An online fundraiser has raised more than $90,000 to help the Seguna family with Zayn’s recovery and to help pay for the cost of the family’s accommodation and travel back to Australia, as well as their mortgage.

The Maltese Health Ministry did not respond to a request for comment from the Australian news portal. MaltaToday has also reached out to the Health Ministry.

Joanne told Australian media that although her baby had lost his leg, he was making great progress and had recently started crawling. “I just hope when he grows up, he’ll be alright.”