“Eight agonising months after losing my father, we still seek answers and closure. Our requests for an investigation and independent autopsy at Mater Dei Hospital have been denied by the Court after six months of hearings, despite conflicting statements and unanswered questions surrounding his passing,” the daughter wrote.

Megally’s death

Megally, diagnosed with mitochondrial myopathy, a rare disorder, was undergoing treatment at Mater Dei Hospital’s Intensive Therapy Unit (ITU).

Despite his initial challenges, he showed remarkable progress during his stay, even being prepared for transfer to a rehabilitation ward after being weaned off ventilator support.

“He was communicating with us, requesting to go home, and even taking interest in other patients,” Anastasia stated.

However, his health unexpectedly deteriorated in the early hours of 3rd July 2023, prompting concerns among his family due to the sudden and drastic decline.

“We raised questions about this unexpected drastic decline, given that we received a very vague and patchy description of events that eventually led to his demise,” the daughter wrote.

She went on to describe how after her father’s passing, the family had “even more serious questions” that needed answering, such as the reason for MDH’s decision to prohibit an autopsy without informing the family and the “lack of scientific interest” in Megally’s rare condition.

She also mentioned that the family was given inconsistent explanations for her father’s passing, with the family receiving “four different causes of death”.

Anastasia went on to reveal some very concerning details on the situation, particularly the “unnecessarily and risky prolonged use” of an endotracheal tube, the bleeding from the tracheostomy on 3rd July, and the subsequent discovery that it was dislodged that very morning.

She also raised concerns regarding the extended administration of Propofol, a sedative which she described as “highly risky for individuals with his condition, when used for more than one hour.”

Another alarming detail the daughter revealed was the imposition of a Do Not Resuscitate (DNR) order without the family’s consent, which remained in effect despite his improved condition.

She also revealed that the family were not granted immediate access to Megally’s medical file, which raised alarm bells for relatives.

The Megally family’s legal battles

Despite the family’s efforts to seek an independent investigation and autopsy, they faced “dismissal and belittlement” from the hospital and the court.

The family encountered obstacles, including vague explanations, inconsistent information, and dismissive attitudes from medical authorities.

“They mocked, turned down, or ignored our research and communication with these experts,” Anastasia stated, referring to the family’s consultation with foreign experts.

She described how “upon presenting information from the renowned Newcastle Welcome Centre for Mitochondrial Research, which issues guidelines to the entire NHS,” MDH dismissed this, allegedly labelling it “some shady organisation.”

In order to try and reach a compromise with MDH, the family even tried recommending “a panel of pathologist selected from both sides,” an avenue which ended up with the hospital rejecting all of the family’s recommendations.

“This resistance has unfortunately led us to believe the events surrounding my father’s death are being concealed,” the daughter wrote.

Twice, the courts denied their plea for an autopsy within a magisterial inquiry, asserting that the doctor’s death did not warrant such an investigation. Confronted with these setbacks and the hospital’s refusal to release the doctor’s body for an autopsy at a private facility or at MDH by family-selected pathologists, his wife and children have initiated a new legal battle.

They lodged a judicial protest with the civil courts on Friday, urging the Health Minister, CEO of Mater Dei Hospital, Chief Medical Officer, and State Advocate to promptly release the doctor’s remains.

“We urge MDH to let us access our father’s body and to desist from impeding our right to obtain answers. We demand the right to a private or independent autopsy with foreign pathologists so that we may lay my dear father to rest and our family, particularly my father’s frail mother, can have the closure we desperately need,” the daughter wrote.

The family is attributing full responsibility to the authorities for any damages incurred. They allege that throughout the criminal proceedings aimed at initiating a magisterial inquiry, Mater Dei Hospital actively impeded the revelation of truth.