Sun.Star Cebu

‘Hospital still under probe’

-

THE Mandaue City Hospital is not cleared yet of any liability following the recent death of a woman in their facility, the Department of Health (DOH) 7 said.

Dr. Jaime Bernadas, DOH 7 director, said that while they have concluded their investigat­ion on the hospital, they haven’t cleared them yet.

Bernadas also said they will make several recommenda­tions , including those pertaining to the issuance of discharge summaries, to Mandaue City Hospital to improve its services.

Bernadas issued the clarificat­ion yesterday, the same day that Cesar Coliflores, husband of Jocelyn Coliflores, the woman who died in the hospital, visited the DOH 7 office yesterday with his lawyer Inocencio dela Cerna.

Validation

Bernadas said that after their meeting with Coliflores, they were able to validate some allegation­s against the hospital and its personnel.

After their investigat­ion, they plan to submit their recommenda­tions to the Commission on Human Rights and the Mandaue City government.

Even though the hospital was able to pass the standards set by the DOH, it will still be up to the City Government on whether to sanction its personnel for the incident.

Bernadas also advised Coliflores and his lawyer to file charges against the doctor before the Profession­al Regulation Commission (PRC).

Dela Cerna, for his part, said they were happy about the outcome of their meeting, saying DOH 7 officials made a “turnaround” of their stance after the victim’s family members gave “inputs” on the case.

One witness told the DOH 7 fact-finding committee that five nurses and a security guard helped each other in handcuffin­g Jocelyn to the bed during treatment.

Letter

Dela Cerna said that Cesar sent a letter to Mayor Jonas Cortes requesting him to investigat­e the case further and to release the medical records of his wife.

Dela Cerna urged hospital staffers to visit his office and “talk to us” so they would know the “clear picture.”

Once they gather enough evidence, the lawyer said they will file criminal and administra­tive charges against the hospital staffers with the Office of the Ombudsman-Visayas. A separate complaint for medical malpractic­e may also be filed with the PRC.

The DOH 7 concluded its investigat­ion on the hospital earlier this week, and learned that the hospital’s use of medicines on Jocelyn were in tolerable and acceptable doses.

Jocelyn , 40, died at the Mandaue City Hospital last Jan.2. Her relatives said Jocelyn was reportedly administer­ed with an unidentifi­ed drug without undergoing laboratory testing.

Her death certificat­e states that she died from “sudden cardiac arrest” and “left ventricula­r hypertroph­y.” Both are heart ailments.

Newspapers in English

Newspapers from Philippines