The family of a man who died of an accident was furious after the hospital where the victim was admitted to wrapped him “like a mummy” in packing tape.
Marisol Abdurahman reported on “24 Oras” on Tuesday that the body of Merwin Fabrigas was wrapped in tape. Authorities said Region II Trauma and Medical Center did that as a precaution against COVID-19. However, Fabrigas tested negative for the virus.
The man died after being involved in a vehicular accident in Bayombong, Nueva Vizcaya on April 30.
Fabrigas’ family resented what the hospital did to their loved one.
“Masakit sa kalooban. Naghahagulgol na lang ako ng iyak doon. Ayaw ko sanang mangyari, nagawa niyong manok ang anak ko pero wala silang pakialam imbis na ‘yong anak ko sana sila na mag-asikaso… ganoon pa ang ginawa nila [It hurts. I was weeping so hard. They treated him like chicken and they didn’t care],” Mitchilou Fabrigas Sapipi, the victim’s mother, said.
The family of the victim also questioned why the Region II Trauma and Medical Center admitted Fabrigas to the COVID-19 ward.
The hospital also allegedly took Fabrigas off life support.
Hospital wraps road accident victim ‘like a mummy’ in packing tape
“Hiling ko sana sa nurse at doktor na bigyan pa nila ng chance at nakita ko naman pong humihinga pa ang anak ko. Hindi po sila nakikinig sa akin [I had hoped the nurse and the doctor would give him a chance as I saw my son was still breathing. They didn’t listen to me],” Mitchilou said.
However, the hospital denied the family’s allegations.
“The patient was declared dead and after that, we removed the life support so that the machine can be used by other patients. We did not remove it when he was still alive,” Region II Trauma and Medical Center medical director Dr. Napoleon Obaña said in a mix of Filipino and English.
“There’s an upsurge of cases in Quirino so we want to safeguard also people here in Vizcaya. We have to treat him as if he was a COVID patient because he might infect others,” Obaña added.
The doctor also said they wrapped the body in packing tape as a precaution against COVID-19. He added the results of the test came late.
“Had the RT-PCR come earlier, we wouldn’t have wrapped his body with packing tape. The result came very late,” Obaña said.
However, the victim’s family did not accept the hospital’s explanation and still seeks justice for their loved one.
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