Pregnant woman who was turned away by hospital buried with baby

A woman undergoing labor who died after being turned away from a hospital has been buried in the same casket as her newborn, who was already dead when he was finally delivered.

According to Maki Pulido’s Monday report on 24 Oras, Myra Morga and her baby shared the coffin due to a lack of funds. Neighbors and bereaved family pitched in for her burial.

Morga was a trash collector, while her live-in partner Danilo Publico is a jeepney barker.

The victim left behind an 8-year-old son.

Ordeal

On the afternoon of October 21, Morga was rushed to the Ospital ng Sampaloc by her sisters Rebecca and Rosalyn and her partner Publico as she was already bleeding.

CCTV footage on that day showed Morga struggling to walk toward the Sta. Ana Hospital, where she had been asked by the Ospital ng Sampaloc's doctors to transfer to.

The victim was forced to walk because the ambulance that was supposed to transport her to the Sta. Ana Hospital merely dropped her off a block away from the emergency room.

“Porket mahirap lang kami, porket basurero lang, ta-tratuhin ng ganun-ganun lang,” Morga’s brother Anselmo told GMA News.

Her sister Rosalyn recalled Morga looking alarmingly pale due to her bleeding.

“Maputla na talaga kasi marami ng dugo [ang] nawala sa kanya. Ang dami dugo sa hinigaan niya,” she said.

Investigations

On Monday morning, Manila Mayor Isko Moreno met with the administrators of the two hospitals as part of the local government’s investigation into the incident. 

The Manila City government has jurisdiction over both hospitals involved.

“Was she given enough medical care? I don’t want to assume and point fingers to anybody except for the situation that the ambulance driver opted to leave her doon sa few meters away,” Moreno said.

According to Ospital ng Sampaloc executive Dr. Aileen Lacsamana, doctors at the emergency room discovered that Morga’s baby no longer had a heartbeat.

Lacsamana said the victim was made to transfer to the Sta. Ana Hospital by their attending doctors as they did not have the necessary facilities to address her case.

“Tsine-check po ang vital signs ni [Myra] at on record naman po na 110 over 70 ang blood pressure niya, ibig sabihin nasa maayos na kalagayan si [Myra] nung nasa ER po namin,” she said.

Morga arrived at the Ospital ng Sampaloc at 8 a.m., but it was not until 10 a.m. that an ambulance brought her to the Sta. Ana Hospital.

“Pagdating niya na mag-isa, walang kamag-anak na nahingian ng pahintulot ng paggagamot sa pasyente, pero ang doktor ng Ospital ng Sampaloc ay gumawa ng ultrasound para i-check dahil wala ngang paggalaw ng bata,” Lacsamana said.

Morga’s siblings countered that their cousins were with the patient at the time.

“Ang sabi ko, ‘Ba’t ‘di niyo pa ayusin, nagaagaw-buhay na kapatid ko kasi namatay na pala ‘yung bata sa tiyan. Mamamatay kapatid ko.’ Ang sabi sa’kin, wala pang pirma ng nurse at doktor na ihahatid [siya] sa Sta. Ana Hospital. Naghintay pa kami. Kung 'di pa po nagalit 'yung asawa, lalong 'di pa mag-aano,” Rebecca recounted.

Upon her arrival at the Sta. Ana Hospital, Morga received a blood transfusion but complications followed soon after.

“Nagdudugo siya. Manganganak na nga siya, plus the fact na may fetal death,” Sta. Ana Hospital executive Dr. Grace Padilla said.

Negligence

Health Secretary Francisco Duque said there was negligence on the part of the two hospitals.

“Mali ‘yung ginawa dahil ‘yan, emergency ‘yan. Hindi dapat sila humingi ng requirement na kailangan may kamag-anak. Hindi minor ‘yan. Twenty-three years old na ‘yan, dapat ‘yan, sinamahan na lang nila,” he said. — Julia Mari Ornedo/BM, GMA News