Janet Lim-Napoles. Contributed Photo by Philippine National Police Public Information Office
MANILA, Philippines—Makati Regional Trial Court Branch 150 Judge Elmo Alameda allowed Wednesday doctors of St. Luke’s Medical Center to attend to detained businesswoman and alleged pork barrel mastermind Janet Lim-Napoles’ medical needs and treatment at Ospital ng Makati.
The court allowed Drs. Elsie Badillo-Pascua, Leo Aquizilan, Efren Domingo, Michael Lim-Villa, Nick Cruz, and an unidentified anaesthesiologist and pulmonologist to perform and administer medical surgery and treatment on Napoles.
Judge Alameda issued his ruling immediately after a hearing on the earlier motion filed by Napoles’ camp on Tuesday.
At the hearing, Dr. Perry Ishmael Peralta, medical director of the Ospital ng Makati, signified the willingness and readiness of the management to grant Napoles’ request.
Peralta also noted that allowing doctors from St. Luke’s to perform the surgery on Napoles would not violate any existing rules and regulations of the hospital.
“Be that as it may… the court will not hesitate to give its imprimatur to this medical undertaking for humanitarian considerations,” Alameda said.
Napoles, who has been detained in light of a serious illegal detention charge filed by her cousin and former employee Benhur Luy, has been complaining of profuse vaginal bleeding and excruciating abdominal pain.
Doctors at Camp Crame Hospital where Napoles had undergone tests found that she has a cyst in the uterus.
Judge Alameda said that when the order was issued last week allowing Napoles to undergo operation and confinement at the Ospital ng Makati, the court assumed that the medical personnel of the hospital’s Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology would attend to her needs and operation.
The court also noted some of the rules set by the Ospital ng Makati to the St. Luke’s Medical doctors.
Peralta said the St Luke’s doctors must follow the standard care of a patient and the rules, regulations and policies of the Ospital ng Makati.
“Otherwise, the privilege accorded to them will be revoked,” Peralta was quoted in the ruling.
Judge Alameda stressed that the period of confinement of Napoles at the Ospital ng Makati must cover only the “pre-operative, intra-operative, and post operative procedures.”
To deter any prolonged confinement, the attending physician of Napoles and Dr. Peralta are ordered to submit a progress report on the medical condition of Napoles immediately after the operation.
The report should be submitted to the Makati RTC and the city prosecutors led by Senior Assistant City Prosecutor Christopher Garvida.
In an interview, Peralta said Napoles will also be given a counterpart doctor from Ospital ng Makati.
“Ospital ng Makati will be represented by our own team in the management of Mrs. Napoles. We will have access to records and the person of Mrs. Napoles,” he said.
Before Napoles’ motion was granted, only authorized doctors from the Ospital ng Makati were allowed to perform medical procedures on her.
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