THE Mandaue City Hospital followed proper procedures, including the use of medicines, on Jocelyn Coliflores just before she died, said officials of the Department of Health (DOH) Central Visayas.
In an interview yesterday, DOH 7 Director Jaime Bernadas said the medicines used on Coliflores just before she died were within “tolerable and acceptable” levels.
Bernadas told reporters yesterday that their investigation last week found that the Mandaue City Hospital didn’t commit any violation, especially in its implementation of standard operating procedures.
The DOH 7 officials conducted their investigation on what happened, what actions were taken by the hospital, the diagnosis done on the patient and how the treatment was implemented based on the clinical practice guidelines.
Bernadas said they found that the medicines used by doctors to treat Coliflores were properly dosed and prescribed for the patient.
Bernadas said the hospital was very cooperative during the investigation.
Following the conclusion of their investigation, Bernadas urged Coliflores’s husband, Cesar, to file a formal charge against the hospital.
Bernadas said that only through the filing of charges could it be determined if there is medical malpractice.
He said that as much as they wanted to conduct a more in-depth investigation on the incident, they can only investigate on how the hospital conducted its medical procedures since it’s within their mandate.
“Limitado ug taphaw ra ang among power (Our power is limited and superficial),” Bernadas added.
Bernadas said they cannot ask for Coliflores’s medical records from the hospital due to patient-doctor confidentiality.
If a formal case is filed in court, Coliflores’s relatives could ask the court to compel the hospital to release the medical records, he said.
Bernadas said a formal complaint before the court could also lead to a re-autopsy as a way to verify the results of their investigation.
He also urged Coliflores’s relatives to file a complaint before the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) against the doctor who treated the victim.
Bernadas said he also plans to send a letter to the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) 7 regarding the results of their investigation and on their limited jurisdiction of the case.
Coliflores, 40, died last month at the Mandaue City Hospital.
According to her relatives, Coliflores was reportedly administered with an unidentified drug without undergoing laboratory testing.
Her death certificate states that Coliflores died from “sudden cardiac arrest” and “left ventricular hypertrophy.” Both are heart ailments.