Discharge order for Napoles, deferred, says lawyer

The camp of alleged pork barrel scam mastermind Janet Lim Napoles said Tuesday a doctor's recommendation for her discharge from the hospital has been deferred and they may ask the court to let her stay at the Ospital ng Makati in the next few weeks to ensure her full recovery from surgery.

 

This was after the Ospital ng Makati submitted on Monday to the Makati Regional Trial Court Branch 150 a report stating that Napoles can already be discharged from the hospital.

 

In a phone interview with GMA News Online on Tuesday, lawyer Fay Isaguirre Singson said the hospital's recommendation for discharge was deferred Monday evening due to the elevated blood sugar level of Napoles, among other reasons.

 

“Based sa usapan ng mga doktor last night, deferred ang order. Kailangan pa mag-confer ng mga doktor dahil several physicians are attending to her,” she said.

Regular checkups needed

 

Singson added that Napoles should also be checked at least once every week in the next four weeks to ensure that she is completely healed before she is discharged from the hospital.

 

“We will be filing necessary pleading in relation to that, to address itong medical situation. There should be a regular checkup to ensure 'yung healing niya,” said Singson.

 

She added that in the succeeding months, Napoles has to be checked at least once every two weeks.

 

Napoles' doctor, on the other hand, said the embattled businesswoman would have to go through checkups at least thrice a month to monitor her recovery, a report on GMA-7's Unang Balita aired Tuesday said.

 

 

Napoles is in good condition, the report added, though her sugar level has been going up since she had the surgery on April 23. She has been confined in the said hospital since March 31 after the court granted her petition to be confined in a hospital and undergo surgery.

 

Napoles underwent total hysterectomy and a bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy in April after she was diagnosed with severe adenomyosis of the uterus with multiple adenomyomata.

 

Dr. Florentina Villanueva, head of the obstetrics and gynecological department of Ospital ng Makati, earlier said that Napoles can be discharged soon as the post-operative treatment on her was successful. In the April 30 progress report, Villanueva said they were only waiting for the clearance from Napoles' endrocrinologist.

 

The submission of progress reports was one of the requirements issued by Judge Elmo Alameda in allowing the surgery. The reports are meant "to deter any prolonged confinement."

 

The court also ordered Napoles to shoulder her medical bills.

 

Once discharged, Napoles will be brought back to her detention cell at Fort Sto. Domingo in Sta. Rosa, Laguna.

 

She is under arrest over serious illegal detention charges filed by whistleblower Benhur Luy.

 

Napoles is also facing plunder complaints in connection with the alleged pork barrel scam. —With a report from Rose-An Jessica Dioquino/KG, GMA News