Two doctors are facing criminal charges of homicide through reckless imprudence for the death of their patient who was admitted in one of the private hospitals here.
This, after the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) filed a complaint last Tuesday at the City Prosecutor's Office after the family of the late Filomena Matuod, matriarch of a prominent family in barangay Manga, this city, sought the assistance of the agency for the investigation into the real cause of her death.
Matuod died last February 16, less than 24-hours after she was admitted at the private hospital by one of her children due to her cough.
The family believes, however, that there may have been a mistake in prescribing and administering of drugs which caused her "sudden and unexpected death."
They hold responsible the attending physician and one of the private hospital's resident physician for the death.
The doctors determined that Matuod's immediate cause of death was acute respiratory failure secondary to severe acquired pneumonia.
Although, Matuod was already 84-years old during her demise, according to her children, the rapid deterioration of her health in less than a day of confinement at the hospital and since one of the doctors administered dozes of a drug called Unasyn 750-mg, was highly questionable.
A medical doctor consulted by the family opined that if only the attending physician (who was not able to examine her patient during her confinement despite being advised by the patient's family and the hospital's staff), attended personally on the patient, she could have been more aware of her history of allergies and ordered oral antibiotic.
An affidavit and sworn statement executed by members of the family before NBI Special Investigator Teodoro Saavedra stated that they brought "a walking patient" to the hospital around 12:30 p.m. on February 16 for mild cough and slight fever.
However, at the hospital, the patient was told that she must be confined and laboratory exams be conducted.
She was later moved to a room around 2 p.m. after being injected with an antibiotic.
Another injectable antibiotic was applied around 10 p.m., the affidavit stated.
After the two dozes, the patient allegedly became restless with difficulty in breathing.
The resident physician ordered for oxygen but the patient's condition did not improve until she finally expired on the next day around 10 a.m.
Based on this complaint, the NBI exhumed the body of Matuod last February 25.
Based on the NBI's post mortem findings, the immediate cause of death is shock and not acute respiratory failure as stated in the death certificate.
As of Friday, the case has yet to be raffled by the City Prosecutor's Office.
(Kit Bagaipo, the Bohol Chronicle, 6/3/2007)Linkback:
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