Mandaue hospital ‘malpractice’: DOH-7 team grills MCDH chief

CEBU, Philippines - The Department of Health-7 has created a fact-finding team to look into the issue involving the Mandaue City District Hospital, where a patient died allegedly due to malpractice.

Licensing Division Chief Sophia Mancao heads the team that held a closed-door meeting yesterday with MCDH officials as part of the independent data gathering of the agency.

DOH-7 spokesperson Suzette Jabonete said the agency has yet to receive the official report on the hospital’s internal investigation, which MCDH has to comply with.

Last week, the health agency sent a letter to the hospital administration asking it to furnish DOH a copy of the report.

The DOH-7 investigation will primarily involve checking on the operations of the hospital.

Apart from yesterday’s meeting, the fact-finding team would also have an ocular inspection of the hospital.

Jabonete, though, clarified that the fact-finding team’s investigation would only be recommendatory in nature.

Lawyer Inocencio De la Cerna, legal counsel of Cesar Coliflores, has sent a demand letter to the hospital for the full release of Jocelyn Coliflores’ medical records.

Another communication requested the preventive suspension of Dr. Antoinette Alcantara and some hospital staff identified as the ones who attended to the patient.

De la Cerna warned charges will be filed if Coliflores would not be satisfied by the release of the records.

Apart from letters of endorsement from the Commission on Human Rights, a communication from dela Cerna and another from the Mandaue City government urged DOH-7 to look into the controversy.

Yesterday, the fact-finding team first interviewed hospital chief Maria Lourdes Espinosa.

Meanwhile, the Mandaue City Legal Office forwarded MCDH’s narration of facts on Tuesday and had sought DOH’s opinion about Jocelyn’s case.

Jocelyn had herself admitted at the hospital last January 2 due to an on and off fever. A hospital staff allegedly infused in her dextrose medicine meant to treat urinary tract infection.

Shortly after, Jocelyn allegedly became hostile and cursed the attendants, accusing them of “killing” her.  The hospital attendants allegedly then tied her up and injected another drug that was supposed to calm her down.

Jocelyn died 30 minutes after, her last moments captured on a cell phone camera by her child whom she asked to record what was happening to her.

Official records showed the patient died due to “probable ruptured cerebral aneurism” while a police autopsy report said that Jocelyn have died due to “sudden cardiac arrest” and “left ventricular hypertrophy”. – Jessa J. Agua, Christell Fatima M. Tudtud/RHM (FREEMAN)