Docs conduct medical exam on Enrile

MANILA - Doctors from the Philippine General Hospital (PGH) arrived yesterday at the Philippine National Police (PNP) General Hospital to conduct medical examination on Senate Minority Floor Leader Juan Ponce Enrile.

The eight-man team headed by PGH deputy medical director Dr. Lourdes Capito arrived in Camp Crame onboard an ambulance around 11:20

a.m.

PNP health service director Chief Superintendent Alejandro Advincula said the medical team, which includes an ophthalmologist, neurologist, cardiologist, endocrinologist and a geriatric medicine specialist reviewed the senator’s medical chart and laboratory examination results.

He said the PGH doctors also conducted physical examination on Enrile.

The team left the PNP General Hospital at 1:07 p.m.

On Wednesday, the Sandiganbayan third division, which hears the senator’s motion for hospital arrest, said that it has no necessary medical competence to determine Enrile’s condition, as it directed PGH doctors to conduct medical examination on the 90-year old legislator.

The PGH doctors were given three days to submit a recommendation on whether Enrile needed to be confined at a hospital. They are set to appear before the court on Monday, July 14, to testify on their report.

Advincula said they are not sure if the medical team from PGH will return to examine the detained senator again.

Enrile has been detained at the PNP General Hospital since he surrendered on graft and plunder cases in July 4 due to his fluctuating blood pressure and frail condition.

The court allowed Wednesday the continuous hospital detention of Enrile at the PNP General Hospital pending the issuance of a commitment order.

Enrile allegedly pocketed P172 mill i on in kickbacks from 2004 to 2012 after channeling his Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) to fake non-government organizations controlled by Janet Napoles, the scam’s alleged mastermind and the senator’s co-accused in plunder case.