DOH says hospital probed for cadaver release ahead of COVID-19 test result

The Department of Health said Wednesday that a Bulacan hospital was investigated after the remains of a woman were released to her family prior to the issuance of COVID-19 test result that turned out to be coronavirus-positive.

In an interview on "Unang Balita," Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said the DOH “immediately investigated” the incident in Guiguinto involving the wake of Katrina Santos, who died of cerebrovascular disease and later tested positive for COVID-19. 

“May mga protocol po tayo ngayon sa ating mga facilities na kailangan 'pag pumapasok ang isang pasyente sa ospital, na-de-determine natin if they are COVID or non-COVID so alam nila kung saan nila ilalagay na ward,” Vergeire said.

(We have protocols for our facilities stating that a patient must be tested for COVID-19 when they enter a hospital to determine which ward they should go to.)

“So tinitingnan natin kung ano po ‘yung accountability ng facility dito (We are looking into the accountability of the hospital) through our licensing office,” she added.

According to an "Unang Balita" report, Mayor Ambrosio Cruz Jr. of Guiguinto town said the local government would conduct random COVID-19 testing of more than 100 people who attended Santos’ wake.

Contact tracing is also underway, with 15 people set to undergo a swab test. The embalmer is already under quarantine and will take a COVID-19 test.

“Binabantayan sila ngayon ng tao namin (Our staffers are monitoring them),” Cruz said.

‘Expanded, aggressive tracing’

In a separate interview on Super Radyo dzBB, DOH Central Luzon regional director Dr. Corazon Flores said Santos was rushed to the hospital because of uncontrolled hypertension that resulted in bleeding cerebrovascular disease.

Then, the hospital conducted a post-mortem swab test on the patient to ensure that she was not positive for COVID-19. However, the swab results only came out two days later.

Flores said the Bulacan Medical Center immediately coordinated with the Guiguinto municipal health officer. The funeral service was halted and Santos’s remains were cremated.

“What we need to do now is really to trace back kung sinong mga naging contact (who were the contacts) [and] to interview the family [to ask] even before the patient was brought to the hospital, who were the contacts?” she said.

“Ang napakahalaga po dito ay ang (What’s really important here is) expanded and aggressive contact tracing,” she added.

Under DOH protocols, suspected, probable, and confirmed COVID-19 cases must be buried or cremated within 12 hours after their death.

On the other hand, the Bulacan Medical Center said the incident was caused by a lack of coordination, adding that it was mulling sanctions for the employee who allowed the release of the patient’s body. —LBG, GMA News