OVP chief of staff’s patient care is private – Veterans hospital

Office of the Vice President Undersecretary and Vice President Sara Duterte’s chief of staff Atty. Zuleika Lopez. INQUIRER / GRIG MONTEGRANDE

MANILA, Philippines — The Veterans Medical Memorial Center (VMMC) on Monday said it would only release updates on Vice President Sara Duterte’s chief of staff Zuleika Lopez per the hospital’s “patient confidentiality and privacy protocols.”

Lopez was detained in a custodial room of the House of Representatives after she was cited for contempt by a panel probing the alleged misuse of OVP’s confidential fund. She was ordered transferred to the Correctional Institution for Women in Mandaluyong City but she had a panic attack, prompting authorities to rush her to the VMMC.

“We assure the public that Atty. Lopez is receiving the highest quality medical attention as we provide our veterans and retirees,” VMMC spokesperson Dr. Joan Mae Perez Rifareal told reporters in a chance interview.

“Her condition will be closely monitored and updates will be shared as necessary in accordance [with] patient confidentiality and privacy protocols,” she added.

Asked if the hospital is coordinating with the House regarding Lopez’s medical state, Rifareal reiterated that the VMMC “follows protocols,” which include rules on disseminating information relating to their patient.

“Based on our data privacy law and patient confidentiality, we cannot comment further on this,” she said.

According to Rifareal, Lopez was transferred to the VMMC on Saturday to “receive comprehensive medical care.”

The also doctor said the hospital is conducting routine diagnostic tests and imaging procedures for Lopez to “ensure an accurate evaluation and the development of an appropriate medical management plan.”

During a sudden press conference in the wee hours of Saturday, a hysterical Lopez faced the media through Zoom and said that nine people tried to serve the order of her transfer around midnight. She refused to comply.

In the same press conference, Duterte bared that she instructed someone to kill President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., his wife Liza, and Speaker Martin Romualdez.

READ: Marcos on Sara’s assassination threat: ‘Aking papalagan’