Medical waste from building lead cops to illegal COVID-19 clinic in Makati
MANILA, Philippines — Medical waste collected by housekeepers from a building in Makati City led police officers to an illegal clinic that allegedly treats Chinese patients who contracted the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), the chief of the Makati City police said Wednesday.
“We were surprised when the report came to us na bakit mga hospital (medical) waste nakukuha whenever yung housekeeping ng building nila tumutugon to declog the building,” Makati City police chief Col. Oscar Jacildo said over CNN Philippines when asked how police officers discovered the clinic.
(We were surprised when the report came to us about medical waste being collected whenever housekeeping is in the building to declog.)
“With that report we built our case kung bakit may hospital waste. ‘Dun na na-discover kung bakit may clinic,” he added.
(With that report we build our case on why there was hospital waste. That was then we discovered why there was a clinic there.)
On Tuesday, police officers from the Makati Police Station Investigation and Detective Management Section inspected the illegal clinic at the fifth floor of a building along Sampaloc Street in San Antonio Village, Makati City which led to the arrest of two Chinese doctors.
Law enforcers also confiscated rapid test kits allegedly used for detecting novel coronavirus, swab sticks, vials, syringes and multiple boxes of Chinese medicine that are not registered with the Food and Drug Administration.
Jacildo said the suspects also failed to present their licenses to practice medicine during the police operation.
Jacildo, meanwhile, said they will be conducting a follow-up operation to check if the clinic is a registered pharmacy.
“We have a follow up operation today if this is a licensed pharmacy. Ang mga personnel namin sa Makati are making a follow up if indeed this is a pharmacy selling pharmaceutical products,” he said.
(We have a follow-up operation today if this is a licensed pharmacy. Our personnel in Makati are making a follow-up if indeed this is a pharmacy selling pharmaceutical products.)
Makati police earlier said they will be filing complaints for violation of the Medical Act of 1969 and the Food and Drug Administration Act of 2009 against the suspects for operating the illegal medical facility.
