By JOSEPH PEDRAJAS
The city government of Manila has launched an investigation into the death of a pregnant woman who was made to walk to the hospital despite being allegedly in critical condition.
“If there’s negligence on the part of the doctor [or] on the part of the driver [or] whoever is involved in this maybe ‘negligence,’ they are going to be submitted to the [proper agency] to give justice to [the family of the woman],” Manila Mayor Francisco Domagoso vowed yesterday following a meeting with the directors of the Ospital ng Sampaloc and Sta. Ana Hospital.
The victim was identified as Myra Morga, a 23-year-old garbage collector, who died at 2 p.m. at the Sta. Ana Hospital, five hours after checking in at Ospital ng Sampaloc in Manila at 9 a.m. of Oct. 21.
News of the victim’s death was first reported on television network GMA on Sunday evening.
Rebecca Morga, the victim’s sister, told GMA news that Myra went to Ospital ng Sampaloc at 9 a.m. expecting to give birth. Without being told why, Myra was asked to proceed to Sta. Ana Hospital.
Since the victim had no means to get there, an ambulance was provided, but Rosalyn, the victim’s other sister, claimed that the ambulance did not bring the patient straight to the emergency room.
In a Facebook post that went viral, Rosalyn said Myra was asked to walk to the hospital despite looking pale and running out of blood.
Rosalyn uploaded a closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage showing Myra walking to the hospital.
Interviewed by GMA, Rebecca said the nurse told them that they could not bring the patient to the emergency room.
“Ang sabi po ng nurse samin na kasama namin sa ambulansya, wala raw po [kasing] contact ang doctor sa Sampaloc at doctor sa hospital sa Sta. Ana,” Rebecca said. “[So] ‘di raw po sila pwedeng magbaba ng pas-yente ng walang connection,” she added.
Danilo Publico, Myra’s partner, said that he also asked the nurse if they could be dropped off even at the gate of Sta. Ana Hospital but the nurse allegedly refused.
The names of the nurse and the ambulance driver were not available.
Myra’s relatives blamed the death on the hospitals. The death certificate said the victim died of excessive bleeding, very severe anemia, and premature separation of placenta from uterus.
Following the meeting yesterday, Moreno clarified that Myra’s infant was already dead when she went to Ospital ng Sampaloc.
“Ang ating pasyente, she was attended by the hospital [staff]. Nakita ng OB through stethoscope na ‘yung bata walang heartbeat,” Moreno said. “At 9 a.m., the doctor opted to submit the patient sa ultra sound at lumabas na walang heartbeat ang bata pagdating nya sa Ospital ng Sampaloc.”
“So tinanong sya kung may kasama sya o wala. [Sabi nya] nag-iisa syang pumunta sa ospital,” he added.
Moreno said that Myra’s relatives were immediately called and asked to go to the hospital. They were then “told that [her] situation was not appropriate with the capacity that Ospital ng Sampaloc has” and she had “to be given care to another hospital.”
Ospital ng Sampaloc director Dr. Aileen Lacsamana clarified that before they suggested the patient’s transfer, “Myra was informed that she was already in stable condition.”
Lacsamana said they will investigate why Myra was not dropped off at the Sta. Ana hospital.
“Kung bakit ‘di sya binaba doon sa harap ng Sta. Ana Hospital ay ‘yun nga po ang syang dahilan ng imbestigasyon… at isusubmit po namin sa city goverment [ang resulta],” she said.
Moreno denied speculations that the victim was not attended because she was poor.
“It’s unfair to the institution. It’s unfair to the city government [to think of such thing],” he said.
Moreno said that he would ask that the victim to be subjected to autopsy to “to help the family to obtain justice through knowing what transpired medically and technically.”
“I don’t want to assume and point fingers at anybody except for the situation that the ambulance driver opted to leave her few meters away from the hospital, which is unacceptable,” he said.
