PEÑARANDA, Nueva Ecija – The municipal government has rallied behind a family here in seeking a thorough investigation of an alleged “unethical and irresponsible” treatment of a hospital on an eight-month pregnant woman which resulted to her and her baby’s death recently.
Mayor Ferdinand Abesamis said Tuesday that he endorsed to the Department of Health a complaint lodged by the family of Jessica Leabres, 23, of Barangay San Josef here against the Dr. Gloria D. Lacson General Hospital (DGDLGH) located along Maharlika Highway, Barangay Castellano, San Leonardo, Nueva Ecija.
Abesamis said he referred the complaint relative to the unethical and irresponsible manner, as culled from the statements, accorded to the daughter of Melinda Leabres. “These circumstances should not be tolerated and instead should be investigated especially so that the patient belongs to the poor sector of our society,” the mayor said in a letter to DOH Asst. Secretary for Special Concerns Elmer Punzalan dated Jan. 9, 2015.
Rolando Leabres, father of Jessica, said his daughter and the baby in her womb died after 15 hours without proper attention at the DGDLGH on Dec. 27, 2014 because of their failure to settle the P10,000 initial charges they were billed at 9 a.m. – four hours after she was admitted at 5 a.m. that day.
The elder Leabres said he decided to transfer the patient to a public hospital in Cabanatuan City when hospital staff insisted that they have to first settle the bill before conducting an operation on Jessica who was then crying hard for help.
But in in her complaint filed before the DOH, Melinda, Jessica’s mother, said she was told to pay the amount first to continue the treatment on the patient but could only pay P1,500 that time. “Tinawagan ng nurse ang doctor at ipinaalam dito na P1,500 lamang ang naibayad ko.
Ang sabi ng nurse sa akin ‘Ayaw pumayag ng doctor, kailangang bayaran lahat bago ilabas sa ospital’,” she said. “Dahil sa wala na kaming pera at hindi pinalabas ng ospital para mailipat ito sa ibang pampublikong ospital, ang ginawa namin ay naupo na lamang at nagjhintay,” she added.
When Rolando, who left to look for money, returned empty- handed at about 2 p.m., Melinda alleged, the doctor who was not named in the complaint supposedly insisted they had to first settle the bill.
“Naroroon ang doktor nang dumating si Rolando at nalaman niya na si Rolando ay walang nakuhang pera at sinabi ng doctor ‘Wala pa po ba kayong nahanap? Hindi puwede yung ganyan lang. Lumalakas ang oras. Kangina pa kayong alas 5 ng umaga dito. Kapag me nangyari, hindi na namin sagutin,’” she said.
At 5 p.m. a nurse told Melinda that Jessica had to undergo an operation (Caesarian section) lest the baby in her would die. She was reportedly asked to prepare P10,000 to P20,000 for such operation.
The nurse, supposedly acting on order of the doctor, allegedly told Melinda that the motorcycle that was used to bring the patient to the hospital would be enough for a deposit. This prompted her other daughter to borrow the documents and submit to the hospital.
A staff nurse named in anacknowledgement receipt as Hermie Baniquid received the motorcycle document as pawn which finally made the hospital allow Jessica’s transfer. But soon, Jessica vomited blood and died at around 8 p.m.
The Leabreses believe her daughter and her baby could have been saved if only the hospital accorded her due attention.
A male employee who claimed to be present during that incident on Dec. 27 said, however, that hospital officials, including a physician and nurses, extended prompt attention to the patient. “She was given all the necessary treatment, medicines and use of hospital facilities,” he said in the vernacular.
