Hontiveros wants NBP doctor stripped of license for giving hospital passes

MANILA, Philippines — The New Bilibid Prison (NBP) hospital doctor who allegedly gave hospital passes to convicts and drug lords should be stripped of his medical license, Senator Risa Hontiveros urged Thursday.

During a Senate probe, Hontiveros said NBP medical officer Ursicio Cenas should be stripped of his license for “unprofessional, unethical, and immoral or dishonorable conduct.”

Former Bukidnon mayor Jose Galario earlier alleged that drug lords pay a “considerable amount” to Cenas to be able to prolong their stay at the NBP hospital.

READ: Witness: NBP Medical ward used as drug trade ‘communications center’

“I think this body should recommend that Cenas be stripped of his medical license by the Professional Regulatory Commission (PRC) for unprofessional, unethical, and immoral or dishonorable conduct,” Hontiveros said.

“Dahil sa panahong maraming nagkakasakit, inaagawan pa ng mga drug lords ng serbisyong medical ang mas karapat dapat na pasyente [Because in a time where many inmates are getting sick, drug lords are getting the medical treatment that was supposed to be given to those who are truly sick],” she added.

The senator said the PRC could strip someone of their license motu propio (on its own) or by endorsement by a government agency.

She noted that the Philippine penal facilities are at present the most “overcrowded” in the world, with a 605% congestion rate.

Citing a Philippine Center of Investigative Journalism report, Hontiveros said that three to five inmates in the Quezon City jail die because of “lack of ventilation and lack of access to medical care.”

She also noted that a flesh-eating disease killed an inmate in July 2018 after he was transferred to the Manila City jail male dormitory.

“Ganito ang kalagayan ng ating mga piitan sa ngayon tapos may maririnig tayo na mga preso na pumepeke ng sakit at nagpapakasarap sa mga hospital [This is the condition in our jails and we hear reports of some inmates faking illnesses to enjoy certain privileges in the hospital],” the senator said. /muf