Lim orders rescue of couple from hospital over unpaid bills

Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim has ordered his staff to “rescue” the parents of a newborn infant who reportedly died of a heart condition at the Chinese General Hospital.

Mark and Aileen Mangaliman, in a letter to Lim dated July 11, said the hospital is holding them against their will because they failed to pay the bills.

“I ordered my chief of staff, Ricardo de Guzman to… rescue the parents who are being prevented from going home and to effect the release of the body of the baby,” Lim said. “The parents have already signed a promissory note.”

He said the hospital cannot detain patients or their relatives over unpaid bills because it is against the law.

In their letter to Lim, the Mangalimans said they went to the hospital for a regular prenatal checkup on July 6. They said the obstetrician-gynecologist did not allow them to go home, telling them that Aileen was about to give birth.

The Mangalimans were told that their baby had a 50 percent chance of dying because of “pulmonary heart disease.” They said the pediatrician told them they need to spend P200,000 to P400,000 in order to increase their baby’s chances of survival.

The couple asked the pediatrician for another option since they have no money. The pediatrician then told them they need to have their baby on oxygen, which meant spending P15,000 to P20,000 per day.

The baby’s condition initially improved, but later took a turn for the worse. The Mangalimans allowed hospital personnel to take their baby off the oxygen after the doctor told them the baby’s condition was not improving.

The baby died on July 8 at 4 p.m. The officer-in-charge of the morgue said there was no vacancy for the infant and asked the couple if they could sign a waiver, allowing the morgue personnel to put the body along with the bodies of adults in the freezer.

The Mangalimans said the hospital told them they had to settle the bills before Aileen and her baby can leave the premises, and their promissory note was still subject to approval.

The Mangalimans told Lim they are willing to pay the hospital bills, but they need to leave the hospital because they left a three-year-old son and a two-year-old daughter in the care of relatives.

The couple also expressed concern that their bill continues to rise so long as they are detained by the hospital.  – Sandy Araneta