Three doctors, two medical personnel may face grave misconduct raps

By Dolly Yasa

BACOLOD City – Two doctors and three medical personnel working in provincial government-managed hospitals are facing grave misconduct charges following the preliminary probe on complaints against them.

Negros Occidental Provincial Legal Officer Atty. Alberto Nellas Jr. said they have established the “basis” on complaints filed against the five.

Grave misconduct is punishable by dismissal from government service and forfeiture of benefits, which is explicitly stated in the Civil Service Commission rules, he added.

While Nellas refused to divulge their recommendation on the complaints for grave misconduct filed against the respondents, he said they already forwarded the outcome of their preliminary investigation to the Investigation Committee on Public Health Workers chaired by Provincial Health Officer Dr. Ernell Tumimbang.

He added that the two doctors assigned to Isabela District Hospital have been accused of maltreatment, while another doctor and two medical staff personnel at a government hospital in La Carlota City were allegedly involved in corruption.

Nellas declined to identify the respondents.

He also said that the committee headed by Dr. Tumimbang and composed of immediate supervisors of the respondents and representatives of concerned local government units, will assess their recommendation before making further recommendations to Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson.

“The complaints against the respondents have reached to the attention of the Department of Health, who forwarded it to the provincial government of Negros Occidental for investigation,” Nellas said.

Nellas pointed out that Lacson will have the final say on the recommendations made by the investigation committee.