THE Provincial Women’s Commission (PWC) committed to extend assistance to the nurse who was berated and assaulted by a female patient and her husband at the Balamban District Hospital last Nov. 14.
Cebu Vice Gov. Agnes Magpale, who chairs the PWC, disclosed this to reporters a day after she met with the nurse, her lawyer and Dr. Olivia Dandan, hospital chief of the Balamban District Hospital now known as the Balamban branch of the Cebu Provincial Hospital.
A video of the nurse being assaulted by the female patient and her husband went viral on social media.
Magpale said they can provide psycho-social intervention for the nurse after what she had experienced.
“At first, I thought they wanted legal help because we can provide it. However, they later told us that they already had a lawyer to represent the nurse (in the event that they will formally file a complaint against the patient),” Magpale said.
She said the PWC offered to assist them in any way.
“If they need something, we can provide. We’re also happy that the PNA and the PHO is conducting parallel investigations to expedite things,” Magpale said.
In a statement released last Monday, the PNA denounced the actions of the female patient and her husband who was seen to have grabbed the nurse’s ID sling after the nurse refused to heed the patient’s request to reveal her identity.
Back in 2012, Balamban District Hospital was classified as a provincial hospital. Magpale said the nurse told her the details of the incident.
PHO chief Dr. Rene Catan was scheduled to meet with the nurse and her team yesterday afternoon in Balamban town, located 45 kilometers west of Cebu City.
Cebu Daily News tried but was unable to contact Catan for updates on the case.