A woman has been awarded €27,818 in damages after successfully suing the health authorities for medical malpractice.
It all began on 13 February 2014 when the woman underwent an elective incisional hernia repair surgery. Soon after, the woman complained about abdominal pain and was admitted again to hospital on 28 February.
While in hospital, she was diagnosed with post operation supraumbilical subcutaneous fluid collection, however, during her stay she contracted Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, better known as MRSA. The antibiotic resistant bacteria causes infections in different parts of the body, and while one may heal from it, in some cases it may become chronic or recurrent.
After having contracted MRSA, the woman was not treated for the pain but had to be admitted again to hospital almost a month later. Once back in hospital, a doctor would clean her wound, and she was transferred to the Infectious Diseases Unit to determine the type of treatment she was to receive.
The woman was then discharged but had to return multiple times to Mater Dei Hospital to get treated.
The wound did not heal, and the woman had sought medical advice for various health professionals. She also underwent an MRI, CT Scan, PET Scan and an ultrasound, and different tests in a bid to determine the source of her pain.