A British woman was “disturbed and upset” to discover that her late mother’s body, which was repatriated to the UK after she passed away at Mater Dei Hospital, was returned to her with a missing organ – her heart.
“When you bury your loved ones, you believe that their organs are all in place,” Caroline Lally, 42, told The Sunday Times of Malta.
“I was really upset to discover that they kept her heart without informing me.
“In fact, I had to pay again to have it flown to the UK so that she could be buried in one piece.”
What she found particularly disturbing, Ms Lally claimed, was that principal medical laboratory scientist David Grima told her it was sometimes “normal practice” for organs to be retained for further investigation.
Once investigations are completed, the organ is incinerated.
“I feel the Maltese should know that families could be burying their loved ones with their body organs missing,” said Ms Lally.
Her mother, Helen Foster, who had been living in Malta for the past 10 years, passed away aged 66 on February 19 while undergoing a routine angiogram.
A magisterial inquiry was opened into the cause of her death and, a week later, her body was released.
Ms Lally flew her mother’s body to the UK but, before being buried, the Croydon Public Mortuary performed another post mortem examination and informed Ms Lally that the heart was missing.
“The English coroner thought that I had given permission for the heart to be used for scientific experiments.
“I was quite upset – I wanted answers.”
Ms Lally arranged a meeting with Mr Grima and flew to Malta in April.
It turned out that the heart had been kept for further investigations by the pathologist.
“I don’t know how people can get away with doing these things. “It was awful,” she said.
Mr Grima confirmed he was supporting Ms Lally in her various requests and enquiries.
The English coroner thought I had given permission for the heart to be used for experiments
During Ms Lally’s visit to his office, he explained that organs were only retained for further investigations by the pathologist in particular instances, as in the case of Ms Foster. Everything is regulated and recorded in a register.
“I had also informed Ms Lally that this is standard practice with all retained tissue in all events other than autopsies. I explained that this also happens after tissue is removed during surgical interventions in the operating theatres and sent for histopathological analysis.
“Any retained organs are therefore disposed of ethically and according to local health and safety regulations.”
Asked to comment, a spokeswoman for the Health Ministry said the magisterial inquiry following Ms Foster’s death was still ongoing and the court-appointed experts had a duty to gather all the evidence so that their conclusion reflected the true facts.