Senator Raffy Tulfo slammed the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) over its slow action on cases involving doctors accused of medical malpractice, some of which have reportedly resulted in the patient deaths.
During the Senate budget hearing of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) and its attached agencies, Tulfo cited as an example a 2017 case in which a patient reportedly died after undergoing several procedures simultaneously.
The doctor involved was not placed under preventive suspension, allowing a similar incident to reportedly happen again recently, with the patient suffering the same fate.
“Ilang pasyente pa ba ang hinihintay na mamatay ng PRC? Sampu? Sandaan? Para lang umaksyon,” the legislator asked.
“It took three years for the case to even be filed, and nearly nine years later, it remains pending with no one held accountable.”
PRC Chairperson Charito Zamora explained that the 2017 case had been filed with the Board of Medicine in 2021 and remains at the “board level”—a response that angered Sen. Tulfo to which he pointed out that it took three years for the case to even be filed, and nearly nine years later, it remains pending with no one held accountable.
Tulfo further emphasized that had the PRC conducted a motu proprio investigation when the medical malpractice was first reported to them in 2017 and imposed preventive suspension on the doctor involved, another incident of medical malpractice—and the loss of another life—could have potentially been prevented.
“I will immediately create a fact-finding team to investigate the issue.”
Ultimately, DOLE Secretary Francis Tolentino assured the senator that he would immediately create a fact-finding team to investigate the issue so that appropriate cases could be filed against those who may be held liable.
The team will also investigate the clinic linked to the reported medical malpractice.
