‘My dead father was left rotting at Gozo hospital’ – son recounts experience

Aqra bil-Malti

The grieving son of a 57-year-old Gozitan man who was found dead at his farm in Gozo last Friday accused the health authorities of losing every sense of respect, claiming that his father’s body was left rotting for days inside the hospital’s mortuary.

Speaking to The Shift, Samuel Curmi, from Victoria, recounted how last Monday, when he went to see his father’s corpse at the mortuary, he had the shock of his life.

“I was already shocked and distraught, being the one finding my father dead on his farm on Friday morning. You can imagine what I had to endure when, on Monday, I discovered that my father’s corpse had been left rotting at the hospital and was not put inside the freezer as it should have been awaiting an autopsy,” Curmi said.

“When I arrived with a friend, they (the hospital staff) did not want me to see the body at first. However, when I insisted, I discovered why,” the angry son told The Shift.

“Evidently, for some reason, my father’s corpse was left out of the freezer for three consecutive days in the heat and was already infested with worms. His body had completely turned black, and parts of his face were already missing with the infestation,” the young Curmi said, horrified.

His friend, who accompanied him, confirmed Samuel’s experience, explaining that the smell emanating from the corpse due to its advanced stage of decomposition was unbearable. He did not wish to be named.

The Shift asked Curmi whether he had questioned staff on why his father’s body was left in that state. “At the time, I couldn’t even talk because I was in shock seeing my father in that state,” Curmi replied.

“Later, when I asked the staff for an explanation, no one spoke,” he added.

Samuel is now demanding a full explanation from the authorities.

Writing on social media, he asked for a full inquiry and for those responsible to answer.

When contacted, a spokesman for the health minister told The Shift that the ministry was not yet aware of the incident and would look into the issue. So far, no official response has been received.

Samuel Curmi told The Shift that his lawyer had filed a police report on the issue, and an inquiry should be underway.

“I have not buried my father yet, and I want those responsible to give us an explanation for their failures. This country has hit rock bottom, and I don’t want anyone to get this treatment, let alone my father,” he said.

According to the police, the 57-year-old man was found dead in his field on the outskirts of Victoria, apparently after falling from a ladder. The police investigation is still ongoing.