Napoles checkup at Camp Crame hospital set Feb. 26

Janet-Lim Napoles inside his cell in Fort Sto. Domingo CONTRIBUTED FILE PHOTO/PNP/PIO

MANILA, Philippines—The Makati City Regional Trial Court Branch 150 on Monday allowed alleged pork barrel scam mastermind Janet Lim-Napoles to undergo medical check-up at the Camp Crame hospital on Feb. 26.

The court, through Judge Elmo Alameda, set the date after it turned down Napoles’ bid to have her checkup conducted at St. Luke’s Medical Center at the Bonifacio Global City in Taguig.

Napoles’ camp has sought the lower court’s permission for her to undergo transvaginal ultrasound after she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer.

The court heard the testimonies of Napoles’ doctors—Drs. Ramon Elazequi, Elsie P. Badillo-Pascua and Michael Lim Villa–who all confirmed their findings on Napoles and her need to undergo transvaginal ultrasound.

Senior Inspector Michael Angelo Luna, attending physician at the Special Action Force in Fort Sto. Domingo, testified that the SAF clinic does not have the facility to perform such examination.

However, Luna said the public hospital in Camp Crame has enough facilities to perform the test.

“After hearing the testimonies of the four doctors, the court is persuaded with their conclusions and recommendations that accused Janet Lim-Napoles needs to undergo the requested medical examinations. Having been informed by Dr Angelo Michael V. Luna that Camp Crame Hospital has the facility for the requested examinations, the court deems it proper that the examinations be done at the said hospital and not at the St. Luke’s Medical Center, the hospital choice of the accused,” the court said in its resolution.

But the court said personal doctors of Napoles may be allowed to witness the actual medical examination in Camp Crame if its rules allow it.

The court instructed the authorities to immediately bring Napoles back to Fort Sto. Domingo upon her discharge in Camp Crame Hospital.

According to the motion filed with the court earlier, Napoles was rushed last Oct. 24 to the Southern Luzon Hospital and Medical Center where she underwent a CT scan following severe abdominal pains and “profuse menstrual bleeding for nine consecutive days.”

Napoles’ endocrinologist at St. Luke’s in Taguig, Michael Lim Villa, examined Napoles at Fort Sto Domingo Sta. Rosa on Dec. 14 after she continued to complain of abdominal pain and bleeding, as well as “hypoglycemia, drastic weight loss, chest pains.”

Her lawyers asked the court to allow her to be examined further at St. Luke’s and be placed under hospital arrest if necessary.

“Our medical dispensary at the Fort Sto Domingo has no equipment to perform ultrasound or other tests. It is ill-equipped. But we have suggested to Mrs. Napoles if she wants to be examined at the Camp Crame hospital,” Luna told the judge.

Luna said the hospital at Camp Crame has all the equipment and facilities for the ultrasound and the two blood tests her doctors recommended.

“Your honor, if she will be brought to Camp Crame for these exams, we have no objection,” state prosecutor Christopher Garvida said.

Defense lawyer Bruce Rivera said their camp wanted Napoles to be examined in a hospital and by doctors of her choice.

“And, there are better facilities in St. Luke’s,” Rivera said. Judge Alameda then turned to Luna and asked him what differences there were between the equipment at the two hospitals.

“Last December, we made another blood test on Mrs. Napoles and we sent two specimens to St. Luke’s and Camp Crame and the results were almost similar,” Luna said.

Rivera posed no objection and later asked that the medical results from Camp Crame Hospital be forwarded to St. Luke’s Medical Center for a parallel examination. – With a report by Niña Calleja, Philippine Daily Inquirer

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