6 Ecija hospitals to be probed for rejecting 65-year-old

MANILA, Philippines — The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) will be looking into possible liabilities of six hospitals in Nueva Ecija that allegedly refused to admit a 65-year-old man who was experiencing breathing difficulty and died hours later in his home.

Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra yesterday said he had given instructions to the NBI to validate the information and conduct an investigation that these hospitals all turned away a senior from Cabanatuan City, identified in reports as Ladislao Cabling.

Cabling’s case was brought to the attention of President Duterte, who said that if it would be proven that the hospitals refused to admit the elderly, the President would order the Department of Justice to prosecute them.

The six hospitals turned him away because they reportedly lack intensive care unit (ICU) facilities, according to Cabling’s daughter Girlie Cagaoan.

In one of the hospitals, a nurse reportedly said their father had symptoms of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) without conducting any test.

It was also reported that Cabling was suffering from asthma. There was no confirmation that COVID-19 was the cause of his death.

Cabling was supposed to have been buried last Tuesday.