CITY OF SAN FERNANDO – The complaint of medical negligence against a medical team at the Jose B. Lingad Memorial General Hospital (JBLMGH) filed by a local haute couturier on behalf of her staff has been settled amicably.
On Nov. 7, JBLMGH medical center chief Dr. Monserrat Chichioco and medical and professional staff head Dr. Alfonso Danac met with fashion designer Mich Viray and the victim, Ruby Ann Lazaro, at the latter’s residence in Barangay San Pedro Cutud here to officially apologize and appraise the complainants of the result of the internal investigation of the incident arising from the confinement of Lazaro following a vehicular accident on Oct. 21 in Barangay Baliti.
The parties agreed to the peaceful resolution without any monetary consideration, with the JBLMGH providing free and continuous rehabilitation for Lazaro until she fully recovers.
JBLMGH also acknowledged procedural lapses during Lazaro’s confinement and reiterated its commitment to uphold higher standards of patient care, particularly in trauma and emergency services.
According to the hospital officials, “appropriate administrative and corrective measures” had been taken on the attending medical team led by resident physician Dr. Leonil Anthony Bais Arante for allegedly overlooking multiple pelvic fractures of Lazaro, in order to prevent similar incidents in the future.
“We accepted their apology because this was never about money. What mattered was accountability and ensuring that no other patient shall experience the same ordeal,” Viray said.
A learning experience and lesson for improvement, said Chichioco of the complaint: ‘Gusto ko pong ipahatid sa ating mga kababayan na ang problema po ni Ruby ay naging isa pang aral at leksyon sa atin upang maipa-improve ang atin pong sistema sa pagdi-deliver ng health services.”
‘Para makapag-communicate din po sa ating mga kababayan at iparating sa kanila na kami po ay open sa lahat ng inyong mga suggestions… kung may hinaing po kayo, ang aming opisina at kami po ay ready para kayo po at ang inyong pangangailangan ay aming matugunan,” sha added.
Reported in the local mainstream and online media, the complaint of Viray on Lazaro’s behalf raised denunciations of alleged malpractices and misdiagnoses at the JBLMGH that reportedly led to permanent disability and death of a number of patients, as well as maltreatment and abuses of hospital personnel from doctors and nurses to even security guards.
Punto News Team/Contributed photos
