Quezon provincial hospital chief, nurse sued over 6yr-old boy’s death due to rabies

The head and nurse of a public hospital in Quezon province were sued by the Public Attorney’s Office (PAO) for alleged medical malpractice and negligence over the death of a six-year-old boy, who was bitten by the family’s one-month-old pet puppy on 13 June last year.

Julius Ceasar ‘JC’ Balbuena, Public Attorney IV, on Tuesday said the case has been raffled to Judge Maria Lourdes Gutierrez of Quezon-Regional Trial Court’s Branch 173.

The PAO, Balbuena said decided to file the civil case for damages against Dr. Maria Victoria Veloso, Quezon Provincial Hospital Network-Gumaca; and the attending nurse, Ma. Fe Alice Panopio, after its three mediation proceedings – set to help disputing parties reach a mutually acceptable agreement - failed.

The Grade 1 pupil’s parents – Benigno and Genalyn, both surnamed Postre, sought the help of PAO Chief Persida Rueda-Acosta over the untimely death of their son.

The latter, despite seeing the alleged criminal liability of Veloso and Panopio, set the mediation hearings, which, however, did not prosper.

The boy, on 7 May last year, was bitten by their pet on his left hand while the puppy died three days later. The boy's mother, on 12 May, informed the attending nurse about the puppy’s death.

On 12 June, the boy was taken to the provincial hospital for fever and nausea, and the next day, 13 June, past 10p.m., the boy passed away because of “acute laryngospasm due to rabies encephalopathy from rabies infection.”

PAO believed that the boy could not have died if he had been readily injected with immune globulin together with the anti-rabies vaccine to prevent infection caused by the virus.

Acosta said there seems to be negligence on the part of the hospital, particularly its attending medical personnel – the doctor and the nurse.

The PAO, in its verified complaint, said that the hospital should have immediately injected the boy with the Rabies Immunoglobulin (RIG) - an antibody medication that is used to boost the immune system – which it reportedly failed to do so until his death.

The PAO doctors, reiterating that the anti-tetanus toxoid was not administered to the patient, believe the child died of tetanus complications based on the immediate cause of death - acute laryngospasm (lockjaw) due to rabies encephalopathy from rabies infection.

In the same complaint, PAO said Veloso was liable for negligent supervision as she was expected to ensure compliance with standard medical protocols.

“She (Veloso) allowed nurse Panopio to administer anti-rabies vaccination without the presence of a licensed physician and without ensuring that a proper medical assessment and medical history-taking were conducted on the patient,” it read.

The family was seeking a total of P4.3-million for actual damages and loss of the victim’s earning capacity, among others, the PAO said.

Balbuena, on the other hand, said the separate criminal case was also set for filing by the government prosecutors.