Complaint vs City Health exec to be acted after 2 weeks

AN OFFICIAL of the Human Resource and Management Office (HRMO) of the City Hall said Monday that they may be able to submit a recommendation after two weeks about the complaint filed by the parents of the one-month-old boy, who died after receiving two shots of vaccines early this month, against a City Health Office (CHO) doctor who allegedly tore the boy's death certificate.

Erwin Alparaque, chief of the city's HRMO in an interview at his office Monday told Sun.Star Davao they have set a meeting Monday afternoon with Almacio and Maridelma Boco, parents of Khean Mark, and Dr. Danilo P. Ledesma, CHO medico-legal officer.

Alparaque was designated by the mayor to head the fact-finding team organized to look into the veracity of the complaint against Ledesma.

"We are expecting from them (two parties) the actual facts that have transpired," Alparaque said.

Alparaque, however, said the city can only act on the administrative aspect of Ledesma's case that could result to dismissal from office as the grave penalty, without prejudice to his benefits as being a government employee.

If in case the aggrieved party deems it necessary to file separate criminal complaint against Ledesma, Alparaque said the city is ready to give them appropriate assistance.

Alparaque said even the Civil Service Commission (CSC) law provides that they have 30 days to run the investigation and submit recommendations to the chief executive.

"Pero dili na namo pa abton ug isa ka bulan, before pa 30 days, maka submit na mi ug recommendation kay mayor (But we won't wait for one month, before the 30-day period expires)," Alparaque said.

Meanwhile, the Southern Philippines Medical Center (SPMC) is yet to release the result of the microscopic autopsy conducted on the one-month-old boy who died after receiving two shots of vaccines early this month.
This is in relation to the separate claim of the boy's parents that their son's death was actually due to the pentavalent vaccine injected on September 5.

Dr. Karol John Britaña, pathologist at the SPMC who conducted the microscopic autopsy, told Sun.Star Davao on Monday that the entire process could take up to one month.

He said he cannot tell other information about the case even the possible date of release of the autopsy. (JOP)