SEVERAL revelations were made in yesterday’s final hearing of the fact-finding committee of seven government agenies.
They indicate that the use of pacifiers in the nursery, and tape to hold them in place, is far from an “isolated” case.
1. Two nurses and a midwife admitted that they had used plaster before on the faces of crying babies to hold a pacifier in place. Nurse Arianne Mae Pacula, who has worked in the hospital for two years and in the nursery for almost a year , said she had done it “twice”.
Nurse Kamille Neri said “four times. Midwife on duty Orlanes Methovoza, the most senior, said “three times”: Magagad ko sa nurses. (I wait for the nurses.)
2. Medical director Raida Varona said there was “no order to give a pacifier” for baby Yohannes.
In answer to a CHR query if the hosptial has a “child protection policy”, she said “no”.
CHR 7 investigator Lilibeth Llona said every facility engaged in the care of children should have one as required by law.
3. Nurse Arianne Pacula was repeatedly asked why she wasn’t “worried” when the mother showed her baby Yohannes with adhesive tape on his mouth last May 9.
The nurse said she wasn’t bothered because the baby could still open his mouth and breastfeed.( “Wa man sad maglisod ang bata pag open sa iyang mouth.”)
Regional State Prosecutor Fernando Gubalane couldn’t hide his surprise, and asked if the practice of taping a pacifier was “ordinary” in the hospital. The nurse replied, “Yes sir, ordinary.”
4. Baby Johannes mother, Janice Badocdoc, testified that she partially removed the tape with the help of nurse Pacula. The nurse continued to deny doing so.
5. Dr. Varona, medical director, said the hospital immediately started an investigation on Monday after she was informed of the Facebook post on a Saturday.
“Before the parents came in , we already had our investigation about the incident. I even checked if their baby’s skin if it was torn but it was definitely clean,” she added.
“I was wondering why there was a pacifier. We discourage the use of pacifiers because we are promoting breastfeeding in the hospital,” Varona explained.
She said pacifiers are used in exceptional cases like premature babies or “per doctor’s request”.
6. The hospital’s lawyer zeroed in on the timeline of photos posted in Facebook to underscore that they were quickly uploaded at about the same time the mother reported she saw her baby with a taped mouth at 8 p.m. of May 9.
The timestamps showed 7:58 p.m to 8:08 p.m of May 9, 2014.
The father Ryan Noval explained that time settings on his Facebook account are are based on “California time” or a difference of about 15 hours from the Philippines.
The inter-agency panel headed by CHR-7 has as members the Department of Health (DOH-7),Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD-7), National Telecommunications (NTC), Department of Justice (DOJ), National Bureau of Investigation (DOJ), Women and Children Protection of Cebu City Police Office (CCPO), and Professional Regular Commission (PRC).