AdvocatesTV • April 15, 2020
Family of deceased frontliner allegedly refused Post-Mortem Diagnosis
Farol brothers (From left to right): Dr Vicente Victor Farol, Gene Farol, and Paul Farol.
The family of a medical frontliner whose death is suspected to have been due to COVID-19 is seeking justice. They are accusing the United Doctors Medical Center in Quezon City of mishandling their relative's case.
Paul Farol said they were refused a post mortem diagnosis of his brother, Dr. Vicente Victor Farol, 57, after he died at the United Doctors Medical Center on April 9 even though he had manifested symptoms of Covid-19.
Farol said doctors refused to consider his brother as a COVID-19 patient as doing so would supposedly make it easier to find a funeral home. He added the family was being rushed to claim his brother's remains since there was no more space in the hospital for his brother's body.
Dr. Farol was not also considered as a person under monitoring (PUM) despite having been exposed to COVID-19 patients.
The medical certificate issued by the hospital indicates that Dr. Farol died because of “acute coronary syndrome” on April 9.
“My brother was a frontliner doctor and he had COVID-19 symptoms. My point is: we should have been offered a post mortem diagnosis. We were pressured to retrieve his body,” Farol said.
Farol recounted that his brother volunteered as a physician at the San Juan Medical Center during the spike of COVID-19 cases in the country. He only stopped working on March 25. Farol said his brother showed mild symptoms of Covid-19 on the first week of April.
He added that his brother started manifesting acute symptoms on April 6. On April 9, the doctor decided to be confined at the United Doctors Medical Center where he passed away before 3:00 pm.
“We are nervous now because we still don’t know if our 88-year-old mom was exposed as well since they lived in the same house. We are monitoring her condition now,” he said.
Farol added that they are now studying possible legal action against the United Doctors Medical Center.
The hospital was sought for comment on two separate occasions but it has yet to issue any statement on the allegations made against them. It did confirm though that Dr. Farol was a patient who died on April 9 under their care.
Based on recent reports, more than 20 doctors in the Philippines have died because of COVID-19.
Health Secretary Francisco Duque earlier denied reports that hospitals were ordered to hide the real number of COVID-19 deaths in the Philippines.
“The DOH did not and will never issue a directive for hospitals to conceal the number of COVID-19 deaths,” Duque said on his official twitter account (@SecDuque) on Saturday afternoon.
Duque’s statement came after broadcaster Arnold Clavio posted on social media that a hospital in Metro Manila allegedly ordered doctors to hide the exact figures of COVID-19 fatalities.
He said the DOH will investigate the report.
