DOH names docs, nurses in Cebu ‘surgery scandal’

(Updated 3:30 p.m.) MANILA, Philippines - The Department of Health (DOH) on Tuesday identified five of the 15 members of the medical staff in Cebu City who may face charges for their misconduct during an operation to remove a perfume canister from a patient’s anus. QTV’s Balitanghali reported that the three doctors and two nurses of the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center (VSMMC) who were involved in the Cebu "surgery scandal" are: • Dr. Philips Leo Arias, head surgeon; • Dr. Angelo Alinawagan, assisting surgeon; • Dr. Max Joseph Montecillo, surgeon at an adjacent operating table; • Nursing attendant Rosemarie Villareal; and • Circulating nurse Carmiña Sapio. The five, along with 10 others, will be facing administrative, civil, and criminal charges for their involvement in the scandal. The Health Department said that though remaining unidentified, some of the 10 others were nursing interns, who will likewise be facing charges. The report noted that administrative cases have yet to be filed against the members of the team, pending a show-cause order for them to defend their side and explain why charges should not be lodged against them. Consequently, no preventive measures have so far been imposed since there are no charges filed yet. The medical team’s arguments will be examined before a preliminary investigation is set in motion by a hearing committee to be formed by the Health Department, the television report added. The 39-year-old victim in the said scandal has previously vowed to lodge civil and criminal complaints against the medical team. A report from Iglesia ni Cristo-run radio dzEC said Tuesday that the victim had already submitted an affidavit to the Office of the Ombudsman for the Visayas detailing how the doctors and nurses ridiculed him in connection to his surgery. The DOH said it will also forward the results of its investigation to the Professional Regulation Commission, which will ultimately deliberate on whether or not to revoke the licenses of the doctors and nurses involved. Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said they will review the findings submitted by the regional heath office in Central Visayas to determine what sanctions they would impose against the accused medical practitioners, especially after the said regional office upheld the results of the VSMMC fact-finding team finding probable cause for the filing of administrative charges. But the QTV report said that at this stage of the investigation, they see the medical staff as committing violations like simple neglect and grave misconduct. In particular, the DOH said the medical team violated hospital surgery protocols when the operation was recorded on video without consent and when the medical team displayed disrespect with a patient, especially one who was under general anesthesia. For her part, Central Visayas regional health director Susana Madarieta quoted VSMMC officials as defending the members of the medical team, saying their reaction was allegedly the result of a sudden outburst of emotion due to the ‘success’ of the operation. “They were so ecstatic when they were able to successfully extract the object but they were not anymore aware of what was happening around, that people were already taking videos and everything because of the successful operation," Madarieta said. But still Madarieta said they are wont not to tolerate such behavior, adding “The reaction was very excessive also." In a separate dzEC report, Madarieta said he was able to speak to some of the members of the medical team, who she added appeared “remorseful" for the act. But Madarieta admitted that they are still trying to identify who uploaded the 2:54-minute video of the operation on the Internet. She said they suspect a medical student was the likely culprit. Duque III expressed disappointment over the incident, saying that it could have become a “good and ideal" sample case for future medical studies but instead turned shameful. - Mark Merueñas, GMANews.TV