Friday, February 01, 2008 Hospital defends self on dengue
DOCTORS and hospital officials accused of medical malpractice and criminal negligence will face the complaint filed against them, but they denied the accusations made.
Dr. Delia Evardo, medical director of Sacred Heart Hospital, said they were not negligent when their staff attended to seven-year-old Stanley Shanz Gulfan last Dec. 10.
She told Sun.Star Cebu that it is not fair that they were blamed for the child’s death when they did everything they could to save the boy’s life.
“There was no negligence on our part because we did all the standard operating procedures. We gave all the necessary medical treatment and medical work-up. The negligence was on the side of the parents because they dilly-dallied in the admission of their son,” Evardo explained.
She also denied allegations that they demanded a deposit from the patients’ parents before admitting him for confinement.
Spouses Jose and Jean Gulfan first brought their child to Sacred Heart Hospital last Dec. 10 when he suffered from abdominal pains, persistent vomiting, skin rash and high fever.
Their son was diagnosed as having gastritis and was advised to go home to rest and to take some medicines.
Gulfan died last Dec. 13 after a cardio-respiratory arrest due to hypobulimia, secondary to dengue fever.
Complaint
In the complaint they filed before the Office of the Cebu City Prosecutor, the couple alleged that Dr. Sheryl Emverda advised them to go home despite their request for confinement when they suspected that their son was suffering from dengue fever.
A complaint of criminal negligence was filed against Emverda, while complaints for negligence and violation of Republic Act 8344 are being prepared against the hospital management.
RA 8344 prohibits demands for a deposit or advance payment before patients are confined or treated in hospitals and clinics.
The Gulfans also alleged that even when their son was already in critical condition, the hospital staff refused to transfer him to the intensive care unit unless they paid a down payment.
“No, that is not true. I don’t believe they were turned down because dengue fever is an emergency case and we don’t demand down payment. Anyway, we will face the complaint against the hospital in court,” Evardo said.
In a phone interview yesterday, Rep. Raul del Mar warned the management of public and private hospitals that they could be imprisoned if they demand a down payment from their patients.
Del Mar, author of RA 8344, admitted the law has not been widely disseminated yet.
“The law has not even been fully implemented yet because patients are not even fully aware of it. But I think people are beginning to know their rights under the law,” he told Sun.Star Cebu.
Meanwhile, Cebu City Vice Mayor Michael Rama said he is not in favor of legislating dengue prevention measures and penalizing residents who refuse to cooperate in the cleanliness drive.
Rama said that officials of the Department of Health (DOH) 7 should be realistic enough to know that it cannot compel all residents to rid their surroundings of breeding sites of dengue-carrying mosquitoes, especially in the slums.
“The people don’t even have their own comfort rooms. How can they keep their surroundings clean? We should first address our economy before we think about their proposal. For now, this is just wishful thinking,” Rama told reporters yesterday. (LCR)
