House panel seeks stiffer penalties for medical malpractice, other medical offenses

MANILA, Philippines – The House Committee on Human Rights on Tuesday sought to amend a law penalizing medical practitioners involved in improprieties such as the “Cebu canister scandal." GMA News’ Ivan Mayrina reported over QTV’s Balitanghali that the committee made the request to amend the Philippine Medical Act to impose heavier penalties on doctors involved in medical malpractice and other offenses. The proposal was floated during the committee's second inquiry into the "canister scandal" which involved medical practitioners taking footages of a male homosexual patient while undergoing rectal surgery in the Vicente Sotto Medical Memorial Center in Cebu province. The doctors and nurses were identified as head surgeon Philips Leo Arias; assistant surgeons Angelo Linawagan and Max Joseph Montecillo; nursing attendant Rosemarie Villareal; and circulating nurse Carmina Sapio. In the committee hearing, officials from VSMMC and the Department of Health Region 7 said that the medical staff involved in the operation has been formally turned over to the Ombudsman. The hospital’s management likewise said they have since tightened their policies inside their operating rooms even as they admitted committing violations of certain medical protocols prohibiting the use of mobile phones inside operating rooms. Meanwhile, Akbayan party-list Representative Ana Theresia Hontiveros-Baraquel pushed for an anti-discrimination bill, tagging the behavior of the victim’s doctors and nurses as a blatant discrimination against lesbians, gays, transgenders, and bisexuals. In a statement, Hontiveros-Baraquel urged the Congress to take concrete steps for equality and asked the healthcare sector to ensure greater regulation and respect for human dignity. "What happened to Jan-Jan was a breach of ethical standards among medical professionals. However, we must understand that the breach took place precisely because of an environment that tolerates abuses against the LGBT community," Hontiveros-Baraquel said. "As doctors and medical practitioners, the doctors and nurses have the duty to promote human dignity. Ethical rules are premised on the dignity and rights of the patients," she added. The militant group’s Gay and Lesbian Collective likewise sought for the immediate enactment of the anti-discrimination bill, which penalizes prejudice on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. "Discrimination is one of the more invisible features of the country's healthcare sector," said Akbayan GLC Coordinator Jonas Bagas. - Sophia Dedace, GMANews.TV