CABANATUAN CITY – An official of a leading hospital here flatly denied reports that their staff refused admission of an elderly patient who later died untreated in his residence in Barangay Sta. Arcadia here recently.
Lawyer Danilo Yang, board chair of the Premiere Medical Center in Barangay Daang Sarile maintained it was never their policy to refuse any patient as they know the law.
Premiere was reportedly one of the six hospitals that denied admission to Ladislao Corrales Cabling, 65, who died on April 10, some two hours after hopping from one hospital to another for medical treatment due to difficulty in breathing shortly before midnight of April 9.
CCTV footage, according to Yang, showed the patient was never brought by his family to the emergency room but a woman only approached the receptionist. There, the woman allegedly asked if there was a vacancy at the intensive care unit and immediately left upon learning it was full.
“Sa ER nila dapat ibaba dun pagkatapos hayaan nila yung mga duktor ang mag-asikaso,” Yang explained.He said he asked the nurses there but no one knew about the supposed incident.
“I will never allow that, I will never allow that na magtanggi ng pasyente dahil unang-una ay may proteksiyon din kami sa pangalan namin. Hindi lang naman yung ospital, yung Premiere ang nakasalalay diyan kundi ang Yang family,” he said.
Yang expressed belief that no hospital will ever refuse a patient. “Basta may dinala ka sa ER obligado naming bigyan ng atensiyon. Nasa batas yan, maliwanag sa batas yan,” Yang a former provincial prosecutor said.
Yang’s comment was sought as Justice Sec. Menardo Guevarra gave the National Bureau of Investigation until April 24 to come up with an investigation report on the alleged incident.
Guevarra said that if the allegations were proven true,the hospital personnel involved will face charges forviolation of Republic Act 8344 which provides punishment for refusal of hospitals to administer initial medical treatment in emergency cases and Republic Act 10932, an act boosting the Anti-Hospital Deposit Law.
Cabling’s family said they had to bring him home on board the barangay patrol vehicle after being refused by the hospitals.
Their story reached the office of Sen. Lawrence Christopher Go who in turn reportedly brought the matter up to Pres. Duterte.
