After a woman in labor suffered stillbirth following her non-admission by the UST hospital, her heartbreaking story made their rounds online—and to great clamor.
On one hand, fellow doctors came in support of the OB-Gyn resident for following hospital protocols.
“The UST hospital (even the clinical division) is not a charity/government hospital. Admission in the clinical division hospital is per cash-basis however the doctor’s fee and room/service bed are free,” Dr. James Abraham Dacanay Malala wrote of Facebook.
READ: Woman suffers stillbirth after Manila hospital refused to admit her
“That being said, all procedures (labs, imaging studies, surgical paraphernalia) and medications are shouldered by the patient. I know this very well because I am a proud Thomasian graduate/physician.”
On the other, people argued that before anything else, doctors should prioritize saving the lives of people. After all, they swore an oath.
“If you’re a healthcare provider, you need to prioritize the life of your patient,” said Maureen Joyce Landicio on a Facebook comment on Dr. Malala’s post.
“Hospital [sic] is not just an establishment nor a business center, this is a place where you treat and save people’s lives.”
Many seemed to agree with the latter argument, including the Filipino hacker group who, in protest against the treatment of the rejected woman, defaced UST Hospital’s website.
READ: Caesarean section goes horribly wrong at a Cebu hospital
This happened days after Andrew Pelayo’s post went viral. In the hacked website, the group addressed the alleged OB-Gyn.
“What you did was wrong, Dra Sahagun,” the statement said. “You have sworn to save lives not to prioritize money. Your act is a violation of your sworn duty and we can’t just let it pass.”
The group added: “This is a message to the authorities to conduct an investigation on the matter. We offer our sincerest condolences to the couple.”
According to the Global Security Hackers, they are supported by fellow hacker groups such as Anonymous Philippines, Philippine Hacking University and Philippine Hacking Academy.
As of press time, Dr. Sahagun and UST Hospital are yet to issue a statement about the case of Andrew and his wife Siarra.
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