THE Mandaue City Hospital is not cleared yet of any liability following the recent death of a woman in their facility, the Department of Health (DOH) 7 said.
Dr. Jaime Bernadas, DOH 7 director, said that while they have concluded their investigation on the hospital, they haven’t cleared them yet.
Bernadas also said they will make several recommendations , including those pertaining to the issuance of discharge summaries, to Mandaue City Hospital to improve its services.
Bernadas issued the clarification yesterday, the same day that Cesar Coliflores, husband of Jocelyn Coliflores, the woman who died in the hospital, visited the DOH 7 office yesterday with his lawyer Inocencio dela Cerna.
Validation
Bernadas said that after their meeting with Coliflores, they were able to validate some allegations against the hospital and its personnel.
After their investigation, they plan to submit their recommendations to the Commission on Human Rights and the Mandaue City government.
Even though the hospital was able to pass the standards set by the DOH, it will still be up to the City Government on whether to sanction its personnel for the incident.
Bernadas also advised Coliflores and his lawyer to file charges against the doctor before the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC).
Dela Cerna, for his part, said they were happy about the outcome of their meeting, saying DOH 7 officials made a “turnaround” of their stance after the victim’s family members gave “inputs” on the case.
One witness told the DOH 7 fact-finding committee that five nurses and a security guard helped each other in handcuffing Jocelyn to the bed during treatment.
Letter
Dela Cerna said that Cesar sent a letter to Mayor Jonas Cortes requesting him to investigate the case further and to release the medical records of his wife.
Dela Cerna urged hospital staffers to visit his office and “talk to us” so they would know the “clear picture.”
Once they gather enough evidence, the lawyer said they will file criminal and administrative charges against the hospital staffers with the Office of the Ombudsman-Visayas. A separate complaint for medical malpractice may also be filed with the PRC.
The DOH 7 concluded its investigation on the hospital earlier this week, and learned that the hospital’s use of medicines on Jocelyn were in tolerable and acceptable doses.
Jocelyn , 40, died at the Mandaue City Hospital last Jan.2. Her relatives said Jocelyn was reportedly administered with an unidentified drug without undergoing laboratory testing.
Her death certificate states that she died from “sudden cardiac arrest” and “left ventricular hypertrophy.” Both are heart ailments.