Hospital chief faces raps over nurse’s death

MANILA, Philippines — The daughter of a nurse who died of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in July has filed an administrative complaint against Antonio Jayson Sierra, the head of the Cainta Municipal Hospital (CMH).

In a 20-page complaint filed before the Office of the Ombudsman yesterday, Mary Joie Cruz, who was assisted by lawyers of Initiatives for Dialogue and Empowerment through Alternative Legal Services Inc., said Sierra must be held liable for gross neglect of duty and conduct unbecoming of a public officer.

Cruz said the ombudsman should suspend or remove Sierra from office for failing to ensure that her mother Ma. Theresa and other medical workers at the CMH were provided with good healthcare services and just compensation.

“Dr. Sierra showed a dismissive attitude toward my mother’s request for a COVID-19 test on three occasions that she was exposed to a positive patient... He also chastised and berated my mother when she expressed her concerns about the COVID-19 situation in CMH,” Cruz said.

She said her mother bought her own personal protective equipment, adding that her death was not reported to the epidemiology bureau.

Cruz said her mother received a hazard pay of only P150 per day contrary to the Department of Health’s order of P500 for COVID-19 frontliners.