Malpractice in the Field of Medicine
I choose to feature here the latest news on the malpractice committed by medical practitioners a year ago on Victoria Deraco, a young mother who had just given birth via Caesarian section. She was supposed to be infused with Type B blood but the doctors mistakenly gave her Type A blood instead, and realized too late only after giving her the Type A for the third time. The process was supposed to save her life; only, the doctors of East Avenue Medical Centre, a government-run hospital did the wrong procedure. She later lapsed into a coma and finally died in January 2005, one month after giving birth on December of 2004. Her family is now fighting the responsible medical practitioners in the courts to seek justice for her wrongful death. But what’s difficult under Philippine laws especially in the medical profession is that you have to file separate complaints in order for the accused to be given the full force of the law; you have to file in criminal courts for penal sanctions, and in civil courts for damages, and with Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) for the revocation of licenses. This process is not just costly but certainly emotionally draining for the victims. However, some lawmakers are now proposing a bill to counter this defect in the law system to help the victims in enabling them to file all complaints in just one set of standards for penalties. This is still a long way to go since most congressmen are doctors themselves or administrators and owners of hospitals. They claim that they are also humans who can err. Then again, it is better late than nothing, right?