Wednesday, April 30, 2008 DOH official bares 4 more names
THE health department disclosed yesterday four more names of members of the medical team of the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center (VSMMC) allegedly involved in a surgery scandal.
The Jan. 3 surgery, which was uploaded to the video-sharing site YouTube, concerned the removal of a perfume canister from the rectum of a gay patient identified as Jan-jan.
The names added were those of consultant Dr. Marlowe Parreño; operating room nurse supervisor Isabelita Remulta; senior operating room nurse Consuelo Tecling; and senior operating room nurse on call Ida Sumayang.
In a press briefing in Manila, lawyer Ronald De Vera of the DOH’s legal service division and a member of the investigating team said these four medical practitioners have been sent show-cause letters by the VSMMC, asking them to explain their side as to why administrative charges should not be filed against them.
They were given three days to submit their explanation.
De Vera also said they are still trying to identify who among the nine persons they have identified or the student nurses present when the procedure was performed uploaded the video to YouTube.
Signature
DOH 7 Director Susana Madarieta identified Parreño as the one who signed the time of the operation. She stressed, though, that while the four medical practitioners were scheduled to be in the operating room, it doesn’t mean they were present during the actual surgical procedure.
As this developed, House Speaker Prospero Nograles yesterday urged the DOH to make corrective measures in the surgery scandal. He also asked the Department of Justice to take care of any possible criminal aspect of the case.
He believes that there is no need for legislation as the DOH has the capacity to impose sanctions for the people involved.
DOH initially identified last week five of more than 10 members of the medical team.
They were head surgeon Dr. Philips Leo Arias; assistant surgeon Dr. Angelo Alinawagan, surgeon Dr. Max Joseph Montecillo (assigned in an adjacent operating room); nursing attendant Rosemarie Villareal, and circulating nurse Carmina Sapio.
No legislation
“We don’t need the legislation for that. What happened was really bad, per se. You don’t need Congress to do that; what legislation can we make out of that? Let the DOH discipline those people. But I don’t think Congress is involved in this kind of situation,” Nograles said.
Nonoy Mongaya, a member of VSMMC media liaison committee, confirmed through radio dyLA that yesterday was the deadline for Arias and the four others initially identified by DOH to submit their responses to the show-case letter sent to them.
Mongaya, however, could not confirm whether they have already submitted and said he still has to talk with VSMMC chief Dr. Gerardo Aquino.
DOH is presently conducting a preliminary investigation jointly with VSMMC while the Office of the Ombudsman is set to release anytime this week its findings on the scandal. (NRC)
