By BEN SERRANO
Correspondent
BUTUAN City––The mother of a 10-year old girl who died of heart failure after allegedly being refused admittance to a hospital here last year pressed charges against the president of the Butuan Doctors’ Hospital, a physician, and two nurses on Tuesday. The complainant, Remedios Chan, was accompanied by her husband Gregory as she submitted her affidavit and other documents to the City Prosecutor’s Office.
The Chans have blamed BDH for the fate of their daughter Yanna who died on the way to a Davao hospital after allegedly being refused admittance because they could not give a P30-thousand deposit, an allegation the hospital executives denied. Charged before the prosecutor’s office were the BDH president who was not named in the complaint, Dr. Mae Oco, and nurses Jackie Lincuna and Marianita Gorme.
They were accused of violating Republic Act 8344, a law that penalizes hospitals that refuse to administer appropriate initial medical treatment to patients in emergency or serious cases. The law also prohibits the practice of asking for downpayments for the treatment or confinement of patients.
Ms. Chan gave prosecutors copies of her and witnesses’ affidavits, her Philhealth records. The witnesses were nurses of two nurses of the San Francisco Doctors’ Hospital––Daisy Jane Martinote and Marcos Ibisan––who accompanied her and her daughter to the BDH.
The Bureau of Facilities and Health Services Office of the health department earlier found the BDH to have violated RA 8344. Lawyer Nicolas Leutero then slapped the hospital with a one-month suspension order but the hospital appealed the case to the Department of Health (DOH). Health Secretary Janet Garin has yet to decide on the matter.
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