A magisterial inquiry into the death of doctor Mario Rizzo Naudi has flagged “seriously concerning” lack of resources at Mater Dei Hospital, noting that there were just three nurses to care for 23 patients at the ward where Rizzo Naudi fell before he died.
The conclusions of the inquiry were given to his wife, Doriette, after she spoke up in the media because she wanted to know what happened to her husband.
Doriette Rizzo Naudi has now asked to get hold of a full copy of the inquiry proceedings, and has been told that this should not be an issue.
Speaking to Times of Malta she said she did not want to publish the full conclusions of the inquiry before seeing the entire document, since the conclusions “raise more questions than they answer”.
Times of Malta is respecting the wishes of the widow.
Last week The Sunday Times of Malta published Doriette’s plea to get hold of a copy of the magisterial inquiry’s conclusions because “I want to know what happened to my husband”.
Her husband – Mario Rizzo Naudi, a renowned family doctor from Għaxaq and former PN candidate – allegedly died after falling off a bed in hospital, where he was recovering following a previous injury at home a few days earlier.
He was 70 years old.
In her inquiry, Magistrate Donatelle Frendo Dimech flagged the concerning lack of resources at Mater Dei Hospital. After hearing court experts testify that there were three nurses to cope with 23 patients at Mater Dei’s medical ward, she recommended that the Attorney General flag this issue with the relevant authorities to ensure there were enough human resources to ensure the necessary “duty of care”.
The Rizzo Naudi family believe the circumstances surrounding his death were “full of mysteries”.
Doriette recounted several of them to Times of Malta last week - from finding his clinic door locked, to discovering a "river of blood" in the garage, to being told somebody had reported her husband missing while he was receiving treatment in hospital.
Among the questions the family hoped the magisterial inquiry would answer:
Who reported him missing and why? How does a man as limp as a ragdoll walk from the garage to the living room, up four stairs, unaided? How come there was a pool of blood in the garage, his armchair was unsightly, his clothes coated and not a drop of blood in between? Was he unattended in the medical ward?
An initial request for a copy of the inquiry they filed through their lawyer was rejected by the magistrate because, according to law, it is only the Attorney General that can hand out a copy.
They then appealed to the attorney general to get a copy. They received approval on Tuesday – two days after sharing their story in the media.
On Friday Doriette, accompanied by her two sons, went to the AG’s office and were given a copy of the inquiry conclusions. They are now waiting to see the full document.