Tulfo to PRC: Act promptly

MANILA, Philippines — Sen. Raffy Tulfo has welcomed the work stoppage order the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) issued against The Icon Clinic for alleged violations discovered during an inspection this month.

Tulfo expressed his gratitude to DOLE for the prompt action, as he called on the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) to impose a preventive suspension against clinic owner Dr. Eric Yapjuanco “given the seriousness of the incidents linked to the doctor and the lives of patients at stake.”

“The PRC should not sit on this issue because lives are at stake,” Tulfo said, noting that Yapjuangco could still perform surgical procedures at other clinics or hospitals.

The senator criticized the PRC during the budget hearing on Sept. 30 for its slow response to cases involving doctors allegedly committing medical malpractice against patients, some of which reportedly resulted in deaths.

One of the cases Tulfo raised involved procedures performed at Icon Clinic that were reportedly linked to patient deaths. Despite the incidents, the PRC had not allegedly revoked the licenses of the doctors involved.

Icon Clinic representatives promised during a meeting with Labor Secretary Francis Tolentino on Thursday to address the labor violations identified by DOLE within the prescribed 20-calendar-day correction period.

The violations cited by DOLE include noncompliance with occupational safety and health standards and on the requirements for hazard identification, risk assessment and control.