DOH-6 to review death of OFW repatriate

By Emme Rose Santiagudo

The Department of Health-Center for Health Development Western Visayas (DOH-CHD 6) will conduct a mortality review on the case of a repatriated Overseas Filipino Worker (OFW) from Anilao, Iloilo who died while in a hospital for the coronavirus disease (Covid-19)

According to Dr. Marlyn Convocar, DOH-CHD 6 regional director, they will review the incidents that transpired before the death of the patient on June 6, 2020.

“We will try to conduct a Covid-19 mortality review. We will review the case halin gid pagtapik sa iya what transpired, what was done and then ano ang ginubra sa hospital. We want to have an evidence-based data to conclude ko ano gid man ang nag-transpire,” Convocar said in a press conference on Thursday.

The 39-year-old male OFW repatriate from the town of Anilao (WV Patient No. 115) was found dead in the comfort room of West Visayas Sanitarium in Santa Barbara, Iloilo.

Based on his travel history, the patient arrived in Iloilo last March from Spain.  He went back to Manila to process his papers but got stranded due to the lockdown imposed by the national government.

He returned to Iloilo on May 27 where he was tested upon arrival and came out as positive for Covid-19 on June 1. He stayed under the dedicated facility quarantine area of Anilao.

He was admitted to West Visayas Sanitarium on June 2 due to light fever.

His sudden death despite his mild signs and symptoms of Covid-19 forced the local government of Anilao to call for an investigation.

The health department earlier confirmed in a virtual press conference that the patient’s cause of death was acute myocardial infarction or heart attack.

“Based on his death certificate, the cause of death is acute myocardial infarction with underlying pneumonia,” according to Dr. Marie Jocelyn Te, medical coordinator for emerging and reemerging infectious diseases of DOH-CHD 6.

But the family of the patient claimed that the West Visayas Sanitarium neglected the patient while he was admitted to the hospital.

Radio reports cited one of the patient’s siblings as saying that he was stable when was admitted to the hospital.

He only manifested cough and had trouble sleeping the following day.

The patient was provided medication but there was no relief. He asked for help from attending physician but he was ignored, according to the patient’s sister.

On June 4, the patient complained of chest pain and blood in his phlegm.

When he tried to ask for help, the nurse only told him to drink the medication prescribed by the doctor.

Two days after, the patient was found dead in the hospital’s comfort room. He was the first OFW repatriate in the region who died while being admitted for Covid-19.

Iloilo Governor Arthur Defensor Jr. said he is still waiting for the report of the hospital as well as the formal complaints of the family.

He assured that the province will address the complaints of the family of the patient and provide due process.

“If there are complaints, we will steamroll the process for them. We will provide due process. I’ll wait for the report from the hospital. If there is a complaint, let’s do it well, and let’s give it time. We have to examine the process, because number one, it is not our hospital, but it is our constituent. So, I will see first on how it will run if there is a complaint and an investigation,” he said in a press conference on Thursday.

Meanwhile, the health department said they will also review the cases of other 10 Covid-19-related deaths in the region as part of their protocol.

“We spoke with our mayors, they should do quarantine and follow protocols because when you use rapid testing, you have to test again. But in the meantime, we just follow protocols. We do initial contact tracing and we make the contacts stay put, in the meantime that we are waiting for conducive tests. That’s how we do tests. If you look at our Executive Order on testing, the priorities are based on contact, travel history, occupation,” said Dr. Sophia Pulmones, head of the Local Health Support Division of DOH-CHD 6.