Hospital staff ‘failed to care for ill baby’

Children up to 6 years old of indigent parents are supposed to get free medical care in all district and provincial hospitals in Cebu.

This benefit in a  2015 ordinance was emphasized yesterday by Capitol officials who said medical staff of the  Minglanilla District Hospital violated the ordinance   when they  delayed treatment of  one-year-old Mary Jane Colina, who died of severe dehydration, after  her mother  was given a list of medicine and dextrose supplies to buy for P700, which she didn’t have.

“They (parents) should not be made to pay for any medical, incidental, or miscellaneous expense,”  said Provincial Board Member Celestino Martinez III , citing Section 5 of Ordinance No. 2015-17.

Erring personnel could be meted with  six-month suspension.

The PB health committe and Provincial Health Office are investigating the case of alleged negligence by the attending doctor.

Also present were Vice Gov. Agnes Magpale and  Provincial Health Officer Dr. Cynthia Genosolango.

Cebu Gov. Hilario Davide III said he would not tolerate such conduct and that the incident won’t happen again in the future.

“Ako mismo, nakonsensya ko sa nahitabo kay quite frankly, naulaw ko sa nahitabo (I myself felt guilty about what happened. I was embarrassed by what happened). It should not have happened,” he said.

Genosolano said that based on her initial fact-finding,  the prescription given by attending physician Dr. Agnes Demano was for medicine that was actually available in the pharmacy.

Dr. Demano also prescribed  dextrose, a tube, and a canulla or  needle used for injecting fluids into the body.

Since the hospital pharmacy was closed for the night, the patient’s grandmother was forced to buy it outside.

Dehydration

The grandmother only had P200 in her pocket, but the supplies stated in the prescription cost P700.

Except for the right-sized needle, all other items were were on stock in the hospital pharmacy and could have been availed for free.

The key to the pharmacy was with the senior nurse on duty,  Genosolango said.

The infant  was brought to the hospital’s emergency room at 10 p.m. on Saturday after two days of diarrhea and vomiting.

Nurses tried to administer IV  fluids but the baby’s veins had already collapsed due to severe dehydration. She died at 12 a.m. on Sunday.

Genosolango said if the prescription had not been  given, staff could have been able to administer the fluids  promptly.

Balance billing

She said there was  a lapse in judgment by  personnel who responded to the patient, but said she won’t call it negligence.

“When we say negligence, it is with your full consciousness that you did not attend to the patient that needs medical attention, whether the patient lived or died,” she said.

Under the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth)’s “Kalusugang Pangkalahatan (Health for All)” progr am, indigents should not be made to pay  out of  pockets and charged balance billing.

If a patient has to pay  with his  own money and buy from a pharmacy outside with a tie-up to the hospital, they will be reimbursed by PhilHealth personnel.

The case will be referred to the provincial government’s Committee on Discipline and Investigation.

Complaint

In the meantime, Genosolango said Dr. Demano will be pulled out from the ER and  transferred to the Outpatient Department.

“We will try to defuse the situation for her safety so that she won’t be bothered. It’s not easy to be the subject of a complaint or a letter,” Genosolango said.

Demano, who is a contractual employee of the province,  will be transferred to the Outpatient Department and will not be allowed to go on duty 24 hours straight.

Genosolango said there are times on duty when Demano can’t help but feel sleepy.

She recommended that the doctor go on an 8-hour or 12-hour shift instead. If she ever had to go on duty, she should have a partner.