I would like to report an incident that occurred when my mother was transferred from Mater Dei Hospital to Karin Grech Rehabilitation Centre on November 17 at 4.30 p.m.

Following surgery to treat a broken hip, my 86-year-old mother was sent by ambulance from Mater Dei to Karin Grech. Since I had my own car, I told the ambulance driver I would follow him but, in any case, would meet my mother at Karin Grech.

I drove to Guardamangia but the ambulance had not yet arrived. I had noticed on our way that it had taken a different route from the direct one that I took. After I had been waiting for 45 minutes, the ambulance finally arrived with my mother very agitated and in pain, so much so that the nurses decided right away to check her heart with a cardiogram.

I found out that the ambulance also had on board a man in a wheelchair who was taken to his home in Cospicua before my mother was taken to Karin Grech.

As my mother was still fresh from surgery and had stitches, the rickety journey caused her undue pain and she got confused when she realised the ambulance had taken a different route from the one she had expected.

My mother also has a heart problem and this stress caused her to develop an irregular heartbeat.

After the first class treatment at Mater Dei, it was very disappointing to see such a situation. My mother was subjected to discomfort, and something should be done so that such a lapse of judgment is not repeated.

Patients should not be subjected to such inhumane treatment.