DOH, Rizal Medical Center investigating viral post showing sleeping ER staff

The Department of Health and the Rizal Medical Center are conducting a probe into the viral Facebook post that showed photos of the staff of the emergency department of the hospital sleeping while on duty, according to a report on Unang Balita on Tuesday by Tina Panganiban-Perez.

The uploader of the Facebook post said some staff at the ER Department were asleep from 2:30 to 4 a.m. and did not help her grandmother who was then choking on her own blood.

She added that the staff seemed to lack the expertise in inserting a nasogastric tube.

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.

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.

The uploader's grandmother was transferred to the Medicine ward on May 23, then passed away a day later.

The hospital extended its condolences to the family of the patient and assured them that it will not tolerate any negligence or incompetence on the part of the staff.

"Nakikiramay kami dahil obviously, 'yung person na 'yon ay hurting... Hindi namin tino-tolerate kahit na anumang negligence or incompetence sa mga kawani ng aming ospital. Kung  meron mang napatunayan na nagkulang o nagkasala, hindi kami magdadalawang-isip na magbigay ng karampatang sanctions kung kinakailangan," Lumague said. —KG, GMA News