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Wednesday, August 31, 2005
Editorial: Unfortunate turnover
AS OPPOSITION Councilor Zaldy Ocon would say, it was "Unbelievable" when the City Hospital employees failed to attend to one of their own who was in critical condition after figuring in a collision with a taxi last Friday, the day before the eve of the annual city fiesta and died not long after.
According to the reports, the City Hospital employee named Noel Villanueva was rushed to the medical center by passersby and concerned friends only to be turned away rudely by one of the City Hospital nurses at the time.
This forced the relatives in turn to rush the still bleeding Villanueva to the Northern Mindanao Medical Center (NMMC).
However, as it turned out the NMMC hospital had their hands full with other patients as well and was surprised that Villanueva was turned over to them late in the night when they could have done something to alleviate his condition. Those few precious minutes turned out to be the victim's last.
Villanueva's case is similar to other cases of medical negligence filed before other medical institutions such as that lodged on one medical institution, which happened to be run by a church.
The problem is that Villanueva was rejected by the very medical institution he was working in. However, doctors at the City Hospital clarified that they didn't reject Villanueva outright.
A doctor interviewed over dxIF Bombo Radyo said the persons who drove Villanueva to the hospital mistook the hand signals of one attendant who instructed them to park the vehicle someplace else and not telling them to go to another medical institution.
How they did this we may never know unless this is thoroughly investigated.
We do know that the City Hospital was filled with roomfuls of patients at the time though it is certainly no excuse to ignore, much less turn away, a seriously wounded patient especially when during the fiesta season turnover is difficult owing to the monstrous traffic.
We understand there is a city ordinance that bars hospitals from turning away or refusing treatment to patients who are seriously injured or wounded.
Whatever penalties are cited in that measure can certainly be leveled on the City Hospital. And since this institution is under the city government Mayor Vicente Emano can take action on this case.
Hopefully the mayor through the City Health Office can address this situation and probably institute a system in which not only employees of the City Hospital but the general public can avail of immediate medical treatment or at least quick medical attention in order to save the lives of patients and prevent another Noel Villanueva case.
(August 31, 2005 issue)
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