The Philippine Children鈥檚 Medical Center on Quezon Avenue in Quezon City. (File photo from Philippine Daily Inquirer)
The Philippine Children鈥檚 Medical Center (PCMC) management on Friday denied reports that they refused admission of a severe dengue patient, citing records to prove that the sick person did not go to their hospital.
PCMC Executive Director Dr. Julius Lecciones said in a statement that their investigation on the purported incident indicates that even employees, including security personnel, never saw the patient in their facility.
鈥淚t was reported (on October 3) in a TV network that the patient who died of severe dengue last 26 September 2018 at the East Avenue Medical Center was denied admission when she consulted PCMC the night before,鈥� Lecciones said.
鈥淲e investigated the veracity of this report and found no record of this patient consulting with us on the dates alleged.聽聽We also interviewed all our healthcare workers who confirmed that they did not see this patient,鈥� he added.
In an interview with DZMM on October 3, Juliene Fernandez, mother of the dengue patient, said that PCMC denied her daughter鈥檚 admission to the hospital allegedly because of lack of spaces for new patients. Fernandez also claimed that her daughter was vaccinated with Dengvaxia.
鈥淭inanggihan po ako [鈥 binigay ko po kasi 鈥榶ong referral po para i-admit po doon, ang sabi nila po wala na raw pong bakante,鈥� Fernandez said.
鈥淪abi ko masakit na po 鈥榶ong tyan ng anak ko, eh wala daw po, sa iba na lang daw po kami,鈥� she added.
Lecciones asserted that it is not in PCMC鈥檚 policy to deny admission of patients.
鈥淭he hospital has a policy of not refusing any patient, and particularly so if it is an emergency situation.聽聽We remain dedicated to our duty as public healthcare workers to serve all patients, and we will continue to do so,鈥� he said.
He, nevertheless, asked the patient鈥檚 family to talk to them to help them shed light on this controversy. He assured that appropriate actions will be imposed against employees should they be found to have indeed committed such misstep.
鈥淲e still urge the parent of the patient who died to communicate with us to identify where and with whom they consulted in our hospital.聽聽If the allegation is indeed true, the appropriate measures and sanctions to erring employees are warranted according to established rules and regulations,鈥� Lecciones said.
鈥淚t is however lamentable if the accusations are untrue because it potentially destroys the reputation of our healthcare workers and the good image of our institution,鈥� he added. /kga