PMA official denies scolding GMA doctor

MANILA, Philippines - A top official of the Philippine Medical Association (PMA) has denied reports that the doctor of former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo was scolded for his medical findings on the Pampanga lawmaker.

Marianne Dobles, PMA secretary general, said it was reported in the news that the PMA scolded Dr. Roberto Anastacio.

“There was no doctor scolded,” she said. “No one was castigated. The PMA was only asking some questions.”

Dobles said Anastacio did not retract his findings that Arroyo was risking sudden death if the blockage in her esophagus and airways that a displaced titanium implant had caused was not corrected.

“He did not flip-flop and he was telling us how he arrived at his findings,” she said. “He did not take back anything and he explained why he recommended travel abroad.”

Dobles said Modesto Llamas, PMA president, had met with Anastacio a few nights ago to discuss Arroyo’s condition, along with 15 other doctors at the boardroom of the organization.

Among those present were Arroyo’s former physicians at the Veterans Memorial Medical Center, orthopedic spine surgeons, cardiologists and other specialists.

Dobles said it is only Llamas who can speak for the PMA, which has yet to make a formal statement on Arroyo’s case pending review of Anastacio’s assessment.

The matter was sensitive and involves a high-profile official so the PMA would not issue statements, she added.

In a statement, the PMA reiterated that only Llamas or his authorized representative can speak for the organization.

“Opinions, remarks, comments made by any individual not coursed officially through the PMA do not reflect the views and position of the Philippine Medical Association,” read the statement.

Last Wednesday, the PMA ethics committee asked Anastacio to clarify his statements.

PMA vice president Leo Olarte said the committee had decided to stop the investigation since Anastacio had apologized.

“He also denied that he said that and that he was misquoted and misinterpreted by the media,” he said. “The committee had accepted his apology and his denial, but he was advised to be careful next time.”

Anastacio’s statement had irked the Philippine Orthopedic Association since he is not an orthopedic surgeon, he added.

Meanwhile, Olarte advised Arroyo yesterday to avoid travel as she would be able to recover in four to six months.

The orthopedic surgeon said Arroyo’s cervical vertebra is expected “to have solid bone union” during this period so she does not have to force herself and undergo an operation.

“In my expert opinion, she has to wait for maximum bone growth and stabilization,” he said. 

“In six months, her titanium implant may already be removed because that is already when the fusion is solid and her cervical spine is stable.”

Olarte said since it has already been a year since Arroyo underwent the third operation on her cervical spine, her affected bone shall have started to grow.

Arroyo does not have to go through an operation “at this moment in time” and all she needs is to undergo physical therapy, he added.

Olarte said if Arroyo’s titanium plate was “progressively and aggressively” moving as announced by Anastacio of the Makati Medical Center to media, she would not be able to travel to Lubao, Pampanga and Tagaytay. – Paolo Romero, Sheila Crisostomo