OFW dies during liposuction

An overseas Filipino worker (OFW) who is on vacation here from her job in Dubai died while undergoing liposuction at a clinic in Quezon City Monday afternoon.

It was the second liposuction procedure that Mary Jane Arciaga-Pereira, 29, underwent since last year. She had been working as a sales manager for five years in the United Arab Emirates.

At around 12 noon yesterday, Pereira had the procedure at the Borough Medical Care Institute in Eastwood, Libis.

But according to Pereira’s godmother Adelaida Tensuan, who was with her during the operation, Dr. Peregrino Lorenzo went out a few hours later and told them that Pereira’s heartbeat and blood pressure were unstable. Just before 5 p.m. that day, Tensuan said they were told that Pereira had died.

It was still not clear as of yesterday what caused Pereira’s death, but the police took held Lorenzo and two other doctors, Joel Unson and Mylene Arizala-Tan, and nurses  Djoanah Melissa Cave, Fionna Francisco and Joey Budomo.

Tensuan told The STAR in an interview that Pereira’s family has not decided yet whether to press charges against the clinic, the doctors and the other staff members.

But in a separate interview, lawyer Keith Nieto, counsel for some of the respondents, said the surgical team followed protocol.  

“The autopsy report would speak much about what happened (during the operation),” Nieto told The STAR.

He said the clinic, which he described as “not run-of-the-mill,” has been operating for less than 10 years.

Tensuan claimed it was the second time that Pereira, who came home last June 13 and was supposed to go back to Dubai on July 4, underwent liposuction.

She said that after Pereira’s first operation, also under Lorenzo, the OFW did not experience any side effects.

According to Superintendent Franklin Moises Mabanag, chief of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Unit of the Quezon City Police District, the only case that could be filed against the suspects is “homicide through negligence.”

Mabanag said the doctors failed to check on the background of the patient. He also noted that Pereira was a “walk-in patient” and was not confined before the operation.   – Reinir Padua