CEBU CITY, Philippines -- Health Secretary Francisco Duque III on Thursday vowed to punish the doctors and nurses of the Cebu City-based Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center for violating the protocol of an operation, which has now became a video scandal on YouTube.

Duque said he was dismayed that the doctors at VSMMC allowed the taking of pictures and videos during the operation and made fun of a gay patient who underwent a surgery to remove a perfume canister stuck in his rectum after a sexual encounter with a male prostitute on New Year's Eve.

The 39-year-old patient who is a resident of Basak-Pardo, Cebu City, claimed he was drunk during the incident and he realized only the following morning that a foreign object was left in his rectum.

He went to the government-run VSMMC, the largest government hospital in Central Visayas, and underwent operation at the hospital on January 3, 2008. He said he was sedated and did not know that the procedure was being documented by the people who crowded the operating room, mostly with the use of cellular phone camera.

The video, which was uploaded to the popular free video sharing website YouTube, showed over 10 people inside the operating room cheering, jeering, shouting, and some even making nasty gay jokes, as the perfume canister was pulled out of his body.

Duque said he was aghast by the spectacle made by the medical practitioners at VSMMC.

Duque said the medical personnel who were inside the operating room at that time all committed grave violations and should be held liable for their action.

"Of course, it was wrong! Where can you find doctors that would allow that the taking of the pictures of his patient; that violates patient's confidentiality? Regardless of whom you did it to, it was very bad. It violates protocol. It’s prohibited," Duque said over dyLA here Thursday.

Duque said the taking of pictures or videos in an operation room are sometimes allowed but only with consent of the patient or for educational purposes.

But then, he said, the person that will take the picture or video should not be allowed inside the operating room.

"No one is allowed unless it is with the consent of the patient and for educational purposes. But even then, the photographer stays outside. You can only take a picture or video through the window. You cannot get inside the operating room," he added.

Duque said he had already ordered Department of Health-Central Visayas (DoH-7) regional director Susana Madarieta and the Center for Health Development (CDH) regional office to conduct separate and comprehensive investigations into the incident.

Duque said he expects the investigation to finish in one week.

"It will be a comprehensive investigation (into) the scandal," he said.

The management of VSMMC is expected to release its findings on Friday after the incident was highlighted in the series of media reports in Cebu.

But Duque said they would see if the investigation of the hospital would jibe with the DoH investigation.

Asked if the incident would warrant the revocation of licenses of the doctors and nurses involved in the scandal, Duque said they would still look into this possibility.

He said they would determine if there was a need for DoH to recommend the revocation of their licenses before the Professional Regulations Commission (PRC).

But he stressed that the sanctions would differ, depending on the level of participation of each of the persons inside the operating room.

"We will have to study what our guidelines and policies say about this particular incident. We will look at the level of violation and level of involvement …," he said.

Asked if the involved doctors and nurses will be placed under preventive suspension, Duque said that would depend on what would be the recommendation of Madarieta.

He said that if the regional director will recommend for the suspension of those involved, then they would be suspected immediately.

Duque also urged the complainant not to be threatened and should stand up for his right amid his ordeal.

Duque said DoH could help him in ensuring that justice will be served.

"We will help him. We will ensure he will get justice," he added.