The former director of nursing and midwifery at Mater Dei Hospital has filed a judicial protest asking to be reinstated in her role.

The judicial protest was filed against the Prime Minister, Health Minister and the Foundation for Medical Services last week, noting that Charmaine Attard had a three-year contract whose term started on November 23, 2012.

Ms Attard was employed as director Nursing and Midwifery at Mater Dei Hospital.

On May 16, she was verbally informed by the head of Secretariat of the Health Minister that she had to renounce her position and choose where to go, as there was somebody to replace her in the position.

Despite objecting to this “completely arbitrary” decision, on May 24 she received a letter from the Foundation of Medical Services which instructed her to assume the role of director Nursing Services at the Rehabilitation Hospital Karin Grech, a “decision which was illegal and could not have been taken according to her employment contract,” the protest said.

It said that this arbitrary decision was breaching her rights.

Ms Attard appealed to the Prime Minister, Health Minister and the Foundation for Medical Services to be reinstated and held them responsible for any damages.

She was first appointed director in 2009 after a call for applications by the Foundation for Medical Services. She was reappointed in November 2012 when her three-year term was up.

Two months after the election of the new government, Ms Attard was summoned by the head of the Health Minister’s secretariat, Claudio Tonna, who informed her she was being removed from the post because of what Mr Tonna termed as “complaints”.