A baby died in its mother's womb because staff at Mater Dei Hospital were more concerned about sorting out payment issues for the non-EU father, a couple claimed in court on Monday.

In a judicial protest claiming compensation, the couple, a Romanian woman and her Serbian partner, described how they went to hospital for the delivery of their daughter after a problem-free pregnancy earlier this month.

But the baby died inside the mother’s womb owing to lack of professional prudence, diligence and care by hospital staff and the authorities, directly or indirectly responsible for such staff, they claimed.

The couple pointed out that the mother, as an EU national, was the holder of a European Health Insurance Card which entitled her to free medical treatment or reduced fees in case of emergency care in public hospitals.

Yet, they said the hospital staff appeared to have been more concerned with how the non-EU father would pay for medical services at the state hospital, making “no effort to control or address the situation” brought to their attention by the expectant mother.

Such professional negligence and discriminatory treatment in their regard as non-Maltese nationals led to the death of their unborn child, the parents said.

The protest was filed against the Director General of Health Services, the Chief Government Medical Officer, the Prime Minister, the Health Minister, his Permanent Secretary, the CEO at Mater Dei Hospital, the Director (Nursing Services) and the Attorney General. They asked them to liquidate damages within 15 days, whilst reserving the right to further legal action.

Lawyers Natalino Caruana De Brincat and Ivan Mifsud signed the judicial act.