Attending trial on Friday risky for Corona, say doctors

Medical City doctors of Chief Justice Renato Corona – Dr. Michael Villa, endocrinologist; Dr. Eugenio Jose Ramos, senior vice president of Medical Services Group of The Medical City; and Dr. Mariann Almajar, cardiologist, released a medical bulletin on Corona's health condition Wednesday when he was rushed to the hospital and a day after he testified at the Senate over alleged misdeclaration of his SALN . JAMIE MARIE ELONA/INQUIRER.net

MANILA, Philippines—Attending the Impeachment Trial will pose a risk to Chief Justice Renato Corona, doctors from The Medical City said Thursday afternoon.

“It is the consensus of the medical team attending to him that attending the Senate hearing tomorrow (Friday) will pose a risk to the Chief Justice’s cardiac arrest status,” Dr. Eugenio Jose Ramos, Senior Vice President of The Medical City Hospital told reporters at a press conference.

“Purely on the basis of his medical condition, therefore, the team has reservations about exposing him to the risk of an acute coronary event tomorrow,” Ramos said.

He said if Corona will attend the Senate hearing Friday, he will be asked to sign a waiver that he has been briefed of all the risk. The waiver, according to Ramos, will also be a protection against liability of the medical team.

“The waiver would say that we have briefed him of his condition and the risk that he may be exposed to a heart attack,” Ramos said, adding that he should assume full responsibility on that.

He said that the condition of Corona has remained stable and that no adverse events have occurred, but added that the risk of a heart attack is real.

Nonetheless, Corona’s family has expressed their intention to sign the waiver, he said.

Corona was rushed to The Medical City around 7 p.m. Tuesday for a suspected hypoglycemia attack, a sudden drop of the blood sugar, after making a nearly three-hour testimony in his impeachment hearing at the Senate’s session hall.

Hours later, however, his lawyers confirmed that their client has been transferred to the hospital’s intensive care unit to be closely monitored on a possible acute coronary syndrome, or heart attack.

He said that the heart attack was considered possible as it can be triggered by a hypoglycemia in a patient with a heart condition, citing that Corona has had two heart bypass surgeries, and has been a diabetic, on daily insulin, for the past 20 years.

“The hypoglycemia is one of the dangers in insulin treatment. Because hypoglycemia in a patient with heart condition can actually trigger a heart attack,” Ramos earlier said.

Due to this, the chief magistrate wasn’t granted of a clearance from his doctors to attend his impeachment hearing even in the face of an ultimatum imposed by Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile.

However, in consideration for Corona’s health condition, Enrile said that it would give the defense team until Friday to present all its witnesses and evidences before the impeachment court give its final ruling on the case next week.