Catheter report irks Gwen; says story puts hospital in bad light

CEBU, Philippines - Governor Gwendolyn Garcia got irked over a report that a janitor inserted a catheter to a patient of the Bantayan District Hospital, which is being managed by the provincial government.

“I object in the strongest possible terms at how this story has been reported,” Garcia said in a press conference yesterday.

The patient, Astero Rivera, 68, from Barangay Ticad, Bantayan, has reportedly been urinating blood since the catheter was inserted improperly last Tuesday.

Clarifying the report, Provincial health officer Dr. Cristina Giango said the one who inserted the catheter, Arturo Abello, is not a janitor but an institutional worker trained in attending to patients under the supervision of doctors and nurses.

Rivera reportedly went to the Bantayan District Hospital after failing to urinate for three days. The hospital decided to use a catheter to address the problem. Abello performed the procedure, but later sought the assistance of Dr. James Najaro when he found it difficult to insert the catheter.

Najaro then found out Rivera’s abdomen was tense and his prostate inflated, which made it difficult to insert the catheter. He then referred the patient to the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center (VSMMC) in Cebu City.

Garcia said the patient himself was not in a position to conclude that Abello is a janitor.

“It is a case of un-researched and unverified kind of reporting,” she said.

“Kadudahan sa publiko nga wa magbuhat sa ilang trabaho tungod lang kay dunay usa ka statement gikan sa pasyente ra apan wa gi verify kinsa man ning doktora,” Garcia added.

VSMMC Director Gerardo Aquino himself looked into the matter, especially that the newspaper report said “doctors at the VSMMC said the reason Rivera is urinating blood is that the catheter was not properly inserted.”

VSMMC media liaison officer Dr. Emmanuel Gines told The FREEMAN none of the doctors in the hospital has issued the statement. He, nevertheless, confirmed there were difficulties in inserting the catheter, but the presence of blood was not caused by improper insertion. (FREEMAN)