Sleeping ER staff blamed for patient’s death; hospital denies negligence

A Rizal Medical Center official on Monday denied negligence on their part after pictures showing emergency room staff sleeping on the job went viral on social media.

The uploader has blamed the sleeping staff for the death of her grandmother on May 24, prompting the Department of Health and the hospital's management to look into her complaint.

The uploader said her grandmother would've lived longer if doctors and nurses in the ER weren't asleep from 2:30 a.m. to 4 a.m. She said no one helped her grandmother when she was choking on her own blood and that the staff didn't seem to know how to properly insert a nasogastric tube into the patient.

A nasogastric tube (NGT) is a tube inserted through the patient's nose to the stomach in order to feed him or her.

Rizal Medical Center Chief of Clinics Dr. Maria Rica Lumague said the patient, who had stage 4 nasopharyngeal cancer and acute respiratory failure secondary to community-acquired pneumonia, was already weak when she was brought to the ER at 12:30 p.m. on May 20.

"Upang mapakain ang pasyente nang mahusay, nagkabit ng nasogastric tube. Ang totoo, ito ay isang difficult case dahil may nakabarang bukol sa loob ng ilong, lalamunan at leeg ng pasyente," said Lumague.

She denied that no one helped the patient when she was choking on blood.

Lumague said they questioned everyone on duty at that time and learned that no such incident occurred.

Lumague suspects that the pictures of the sleeping staff members were taken a day after the patient was admitted to the ER, possibly around 5 a.m of May 21.

"Pinapahinga ang pasyente habang stable naman ang kanyang kondisyon. Sa tingin namin, dito nakuhanan n video at litrato ang mga doktor," she said.

Lumague added that those in the picture have also explained their side.

"Nakausap namin yung mga natutulog. During that day, 'yung buong araw na 'yon, talagang marami pong pasyente... Yung 12 midnight to 6 a.m., nung time na nakuhanan sila, parang doon lang pumayapa ang ER namin at doon lang parang naidlip," she said.

Lumague added that when patients need them, the staff members are roused from their naps. She also said there were other staff members who were awake at the time of the supposed incident.

After spending two days in the ER, the patient was transferred to the medicine ward on May 23 where she died the following day.

"Talagang medyo malala na po talaga 'yung kalagayan ng pasyente. Talagang wala na pong karampatang paggagamot na kinakailangan para gumaling siya. Dahil ang sakit niyang cancer ay umabot na po hanggang baga," Lumague explained.

After the post went viral, measures were immediately implemented to ensure that staff members will not be caught sleeping by the patients.

Emergency Medicine Monitors are now keeping watch over personnel on duty. A staff lounge in the ER may be used to take naps.

Hospital residents usually go on duty for 24 hours.

The Rizal Medical Center said it condoles with the family of the patient and assures them that it will not tolerate negligent or incompetent personnel.

"Nakikiramay kami... Hindi namin tino-tolerate kahit na anumang negligence or incompetence sa mga kawani ng aming ospital. Kung meron mang napatunayang nagkulang o nagkasala, hindi kami magdadalawang-isip na magbigay ng karampatang sanctions kung kinakailangan," Lumague said. —KBK, GMA News