Authorities contributed to inmate’s fatal overdose

Relatives of an inmate at Corradino Correctional Facility were yesterday awarded almost €54,000 by a court which ruled that their loved one died from an overdose of methadone in 1995 administered to him by the prison authorities.

Carlos Chetcuti was kicking a drug habit and was receiving methadone in prison at the time.

Medical experts, who testified in the proceedings, said the care afforded at that time in prison to drug dependent inmates was sporadic and unprofessional. No exact records of medical treatment were kept, nor was there constant monitoring of inmates who were receiving treatment.

The procedures employed in the management of drug prescriptions and of patients receiving methadone maintenance treatment were poor and ill defined, the experts concluded.

They commented that the procedures adopted by Susan Galea, who took care of the inmate, appeared to have been those followed in the past.

However, according to the same experts, Dr Galea had not received proper training in the effects, use and prescription of methadone before she was assigned duties in prison. They also concluded that the apparent over prescription of methadone in Mr Chetcuti’s case seemed to have been due to bad communication between Dr Galea and the prison staff.

Mr Justice Phillip Sciberras concurred with the findings of the medical experts.

It should not to have taken the death of a prison inmate for a radical change to take place in the administration of the prisons and the general well being of inmates, he added. The court concluded by finding both the Director of Prisons and the Home Affairs Minister responsible for the death of Mr Chetcuti and ordered them to pay his heirs €53,497.50 in damages.

The lawsuit had been filed by Vincent Chetcuti, the victim’s father, who died in the course of the proceedings but was succeeded by his daughter, Jane Agius.

Lawyers David Camilleri and Josè Herrera appeared for Mr Chetcuti’s heirs.