poor man's dignity

[panzer]

its in the news everyday!surgeons and OR staff celebrating for their ludicrous achievement....

1.invasion of privacy 2.patients rights.3. code of ethics etc (pls add some more), these are some of the issues that doctors and nurses (from now infamous Vicente sotto hospital in cebu) violated. that put the victim into a great emotional distress.my husband and i were so thawrted from the hospital's admin when we heared that the surgeons and others who were involved will more or less only have administrative case.

one of the priests even wnts to procecute the victim. the real issue here is the foolishness of the surgeons and nurses but not his sexual orientation!

downloading the video for the youtube only added insult to the injury but somehow it helped to nail down and pressure even more the staff of the VCMH. what i want personally...for them is to revocation of their licenses and not suspension from work.(i hope surgeons will not shift into nursing)

the nurses and doctors saved the poor man's health but they killed him from humiliation and stripping his dignity.

what can you say?

[suzanne4, RN]

There are actually quite a few CIs there that post on this forum and they were hired for the job as soon as they graduated and they did not have an clinical experience in a paying job when they were hired.

It is a very well known fact there and around the world and including the US and up and down the California coast. It is not something that is being made up here. With the exponential rise in schools opening there, there are not enough qualified instructors as well, and we see people posting here that they are working as either clinical instructors or lecturers, but again without any actual experience.

And in any other country, and it actually includes the Philippines as well, the instructor that is on the floor with the students, and you call the CI, is actually legally responsible for the students that are under his or her watch. And they are operating under the CI's license, not the license of the nurse on the unit, or in the OR.

Schools have policies about cell phones, as do hospitals, and the instructor is ultimately responsible for the behavior of the student. She could have easily set ground rules, and even as a CI, I am sure that what happened in that OR room did not just happen immediately. I am sure that there was discussion going on etc, and for the student to have the nerve to film something for nothing more than to place it on YouTube, actually multiple heads need to be served on a platter. And that means that any involvement by anyone is grounds for firing and losing their license. And the CI is responsible for the student, it is written right in their contract.

We do not make things up here, it is a very well known fact all over the world. If you do not believe what we are saying, perhaps one should take the time to do some reading and find out what job responsibilities are of clinical instructors.

[suzanne4, RN]

And just to add in even though it is off-topic here but want a few to be aware of this:

The UK is not hiring RNs from the Philippines in the RN role, they are being hired as caregivers, or to go there with a student visa to train as a nursing asst. Nothing more than that, and there is no visa available to adjust to when that visa is finished.

There is much written about this on the UK forum, suggest you have a good read there.

And this goes for every other country in the EU as well. There is no hiring of nurses from your country there, only these scam programs that your government has signed to place a four year university grad to work as a maid or caregiver. Suggest that with continued events like this if they happen again, it is going to get even harder to get placement as an RN anywhere. Things need to be cleaned up there first.

[pinoy_guy]

ombudsman: charge docs, nurses in cebu 'canister scandal'

the office of the ombudsman in the visayas has recommended the filing of criminal and administrative charges against doctors and nurses involved in what is now known as the "canister scandal" at the government-run vicente sotto memorial medical center in cebu province.

the ombudsman found that the medical attendants committed misconduct for "unlawful behavior and gross negligence of a public officer" and negligence, for "acting or omitting to act in a situation where there is a duty to act."

the ombudsman recommended the filing of a criminal case for violation of graft and corrupt practices act against

dr. phillips leo arias,

dr. marlowe parreno,

dr. angelo linawagan,

dr. alfred joseph de leon,

dr. joanne mae merilles,

dr. serapio salazar and

dr. max joseph montecillo.

nurses isabelita remulta,

carmenia sapio,

consuelo tecling,

ida sumayang and

nursing attendant rosemarie villareal

were also implicated along with

clinical instructors identified as "mr. a. oplado" and

ramon penley "monching" m. pandaan from

university of southern philippines and

southwestern university, respectively.

an administrative case of grave misconduct was also recommended against the above named officials except oplado and pandaan.

[suzanne4, RN]

Glad to hear that they are finally stepping up to the plate on this. If they did not, then the reputation of all coming out of there or wishing to would be tarnished.

Perhaps it was because of some being very vocal about this. But noticed that there is no mention of the nursing student.

And once the case is heard, do hope that their licenses will either be pulled or cancelled based on the outcome of the trial. It will be hard not to do something with the licenses since the world has already seen the tape on YouTube.

And very glad that these people will never be able to work in the healthcare field in any other country either.

[high hopes]

I think that:

All Health Care Professionals who will violate the confidentiality and privacy of the Patient should be punish. Not only did they violate the patient's rights but also humiliated him.

There is no excuse for what they did, making fun of the patient while the patient is still unconscious. They should be stripped of their licenses and be banned from going to other countries to work as a nurse or as a physician.

With regards to the CI or Clinical Instructors, they should also be punish. The student is their responsibility. They should know that even before they accepted the job. It is not an excuse that they were not present during the incident because CIs are not allowed to leave their students unattended. and also, how come the CIs failed to scold the students from using their cellphones/cameras inside the OR?

Another thing I want to comment on:

I thought using of cellphones is not allowed during duty hours?

our CIs before are very strict. they always tell us not to use cellphones during duty hours or else they will confiscate it. what happen now?

Then if students are not allowed to use their cellphones, how much more with the Professional nurses and doctors?

right?

[pinoy_guy]

glad to hear that they are finally stepping up to the plate on this. if they did not, then the reputation of all coming out of there or wishing to would be tarnished.

um...sorry to burst your bubble, but have you heard anything about the 2006 cheating scandal?

lots of press releases, but until now...nada.

what are the chances that this case will go the same route?

[pinoy_guy]

i thought using of cellphones is not allowed during duty hours?

our cis before are very strict. they always tell us not to use cellphones during duty hours or else they will confiscate it.

cellphones are not allowed, period. we did not confiscate them, as they were expensive.

i just gave the student a choice: either keep the cellphone, or get out of the hospital.

then if students are not allowed to use their cellphones, how much more with the professional nurses and doctors?

umm. cellphone use was not allowed for the staff nurses where i worked in the philippines...but we did not have control over the doctors. they can do their stuff--presumably they know better, and are held to higher standards.

just like this case--i have a feeling the doctors will get harsher penalties because they should know better.

[pinoy_guy]

ombudsman: cebu surgery scandal inflicts 'undue injury'

[color=dimgray]05/07/2008 | 12:19 am

the office of the ombudsman wants 14 people placed under formal criminal investigation for the controversial operation at the vicente sotto memorial medical center (vsmmc).

among other findings, the anti-graft office will investigate the 14 for causing undue injury, which is punishable by sec. 3(e) of republic act 3019 or the anti-graft and corrupt practices act.

twelve of the 14 individuals are directly connected with the hospital and are also being cited for administrative investigation for grave misconduct.

they will be investigated for possible misconduct, which is penalized by republic act 6713, the code of conduct for public officials and employees.

the remaining two others are clinical instructors with the university of the southern philippines (usp) and are excluded in the administrative probe because they aren't government officials.

while indicting more people than what the vsmmc investigating panel originally recommended, the fer is silent on the issues of whether the victim was raped.

it is also silent on who uploaded the video to youtube.

the fer also does not treat the complainant's subsequent claim for p6 million in damages.

"the doctors and nurses above-mentioned failed to control the entry of people inside the or (operating room)," read the fer.

it cited the doctors and nurses for failing to stop the students and others in using cameras and cell phones inside a place where sanitation should be strictly observed.

"they also failed to stop the laughing and cracking of jokes which are insulting in nature. such conduct of the vsmmc doctors and nurses in the middle of the operation, too much jokes, laughter, use of videos, cameras and mobile phones, and unruly or behavior could not just be ignored and let go as these caused embarrassment," the report added.

"such acts really are unbecoming of public officials who belong to the medical profession, whose prime concern should have been the best interest of their patients. their failure to observe this is discreditable and inexcusable," it said.

still, the only palpable violation committed, based on the fer, is causing undue injury, punishable by sec. 3(e) of republic act 3019, as well as misconduct, penalized by republic act 6713.

there was also mention of negligence but this was not included in the dispositive portion of the report.

impleaded for criminal investigation are

drs. philipps leo arias, the surgeon in charge,

marlowe parreno, the consultant of the department of surgery,

angelo linawagan, the assistant surgeon, and

joseph alfred de leon, the one assigned in documenting the procedure.

also included are

drs. joanne mae merilles, the resident anesthesiologist,

serapio salazar, the consultant of the department of anesthesiology, and

max joseph montecillo of the department of surgery.

the nurses, in turn, are

isabelita remulta, the operating room nurse supervisor,

circulating nurse carmenia sapio,

or nurse supervisor consuelo tecling,

the nurse on call, ida sumayang, and

nursing attendant rosemarie villareal.

the clinical instructors, meanwhile, are a certain

a. oplado and

ramon penley "monching" pandaan.

if the administrative proceedings find sufficient evidence, administrative sanctions - including reprimands and suspensions - will be imposed.

among the doctors, arias and linawaga admitted that there were too many people in the or when the extraction took place but maintained that they had no control over the matter as they were so focused on the procedure.

montecillo, for his part, admitted he was one of those in the or at that time and said "(he) could not help but react to the way my colleagues handled the operation."

"several times i smiled and laughed (at their side comments and jokes) but i never said a word or did anything than to continue my observation and to document what transpired."

it was dr. de leon who was authorized to take videos of the procedure.

a case to learn from.

[pinoy_guy]

cellphones, videocams banned in clinical classes: ched

medical students in the philippines have been banned from videotaping surgeries after one student allegedly uploaded a clip of a rectal procedure on the internet, the education department said wednesday.

commission on higher education chief romulo neri banned "video cameras, mobile phones with camera features and other similar equipment ... particularly while attending clinical classes."

official sources said the ban was related to a video clip that last month appeared on the internet video-sharing site, youtube, showing nurses and surgeons laughing and cheering as a canister was removed from a male patient's rectum in an operating room.

there are widespread suspicions that a medical student uploaded the video to youtube.

the finger-pointing continues...

now it's some unnamed medical student.

if it really was a medical student, i don't think this medical student should be given a license to practice medicine.

imo.

[pinoy_guy]

head surgeon a no-show at rectal surgery house hearing

first posted 22:50:00 05/30/2008

the expected confrontation between the 39-year-old patient and the head surgeon in the rectal surgery scandal did not push through as the doctor failed to appear during a congressional hearing on friday.

the patient expressed his outrage toward the surgeon, dr. phillips leo arias, who was invited to the hearing but did not appear.

the house committee on human rights and civil service . . . held the hearing in aid of legislation in connection with a pending bill in congress, house bill 956 (anti-discrimination bill for gays and lesbians).

. . .

on the other hand, hospital officials headed by dr. gerardo aquino admitted during the hearing that there was an apparent breach of hospital procedure during the operation since many of the people inside the operating room had cellphones and cameras and took photos and video during the procedure.

aquino said the hospital manual states the need for proper decorum, but it was violated when many of those in the operating room broke into laughter and clapping.

however, he clarified that the right of the patient was not also violated because there was verbal consent from him that that the operation would be documented.

aquino admitted that the hospital, through dr. joseph alfred de leon, recorded an official video of the operation.

aquino claimed that the video seen in youtube was different from the official video of the hospital.

. . .

tañada said they will hold another hearing and will invite all medical practitioners involved in the case.

however, he admitted that they could not force them to attend because they had the right against self-incrimination in the event that charges have been filed against them.

[suzanne4, RN]

What a bunch of crap, and procedures are not normally filmed to be shown around the world on YouTube or some other similar format.

When things are taped, it is for educational purposes only and that is what a consent is signed for; there is still patient privacy issues that are being overlooked.

And sorry, but this guy needs to get his license pulled until he appears in court. Bet you that if they pulled it, he would be there quite fast.

This only makes it worse for those from the Philippines when we keep seeing things like this covered in the news and not just locally in the Philippines, but around the world. But at least the nice thing is that all of the people that were involved in this scandal will never be able to get a job or license in another country.

We can be thankful for that.