Danao hospital to be probed for claims of non admission of kid, who died of dengue

CEBU Provincial Health Office (PHO) will be investigating the circumstances of the death of a three-year-old dengue patient in the Danao City General Hospital, a provincial hospital, after he was allegedly not paid attention to by the doctors of the hospital.

A post of the child’s aunt on Facebook complained that they were declined by the physician on duty at the hospital’s Emergency Room (ER) when they first brought in the sick child on November 26.

Arlene Riego said her nephew, James Francis Golfan, was first brought to the Rural Health Center in Carmen town where the doctor advised them to have the child undergo a Complete Blood Count (CBC) and dengue tests.

When the dengue test turned positive and the child’s platelet count was down to 242, the Rural Health Center doctor advised them to bring the child to the Danao City General Hospital for confinement, Riego said.

“Nihangyu sila (parents) na ipa-admit na ang bata ug dextrosesan pero giingan ra sila sa doctor: ‘Na, way bakante ang ospital bisag pa (admit pa) ka ma’am, wa gyuy lugar,’” Riego’s post read.

Riego, in the same post, said the parents of James Francis brought him back to the hospital two days later or on November 28 after his condition did not improve.

That time, another doctor in the ER admitted the child whose platelet count was only 69.

The child’s platelet count further dropped to 49 in the evening and lowered to 19 the next morning.

James Francis died that afternoon.

Riego lamented in her post which drew over 11,000 reactions and almost 9,000 shares, that the death of the child might have been prevented if he was admitted the first time that he was brought to the hospital.

“I thought the reason why we have doctors is to save (a) life but it’s not what we experienced days ago with our little boy. Let me share you all guys the painful and saddest story of our little boy from General Hospital Danao City,” Riego said.

Dr. Rene Catan, PHO head, said the case is a cause of concern since it challenges the quality of service given to clients in a government institution.

“Cause for concern gyod na sya because dengue is a common disease affecting almost everyone. I want to know the details of the case. With or without the complaint, the investigation will go on,” Catan said on Tuesday.

Catan emphasized that government hospital’ staff had no right to decline their patients solely because their beds were already full.

“If you say that there is no space anymore, the hospital should facilitate the transfer of the patient to another hospital. Ganahan ta mo-check kung nasunod ba ang protocol sa ilang pag-treat sa case. Basin didto ang gap. Ganahan sad nako mahibaw-an unsa ang matubag sa hospital on this,” said Catan.

Dr. Prudencio Manubag, chief of hospital, said he already sent a memorandum to the doctors on duty during the dates mentioned in the post.

Manubag said he would ask the doctors to explain their side of the story and that he would welcome a dialogue with the parents of James Francis if they would want to discuss the case or file a complaint against the doctors.