“Don’t judge all”- BM Kitongan says hear both sides in KPH issue and determine what needs to be corrected

TABUK CITY, Kalinga — “It is unfair to hear only one side.” This was the message of Board Member Emilio T. Kitongan as the Provincial Board examined a complaint involving the Kalinga Provincial Hospital (KPH).

Kitongan stressed that both the complainant and the health personnel who were on duty when the incident occurred must be given the opportunity to explain their sides before any judgment is made.

“Let us hear both sides before the judgment. Because if we hear only one side, it is unfair,” Kitongan said during the joint hearing of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan Committees on Health and Sanitation and Appropriations on September 10.

The hearing followed a complaint raised during the provincial board’s September 8 session concerning the treatment of a laboring patient at KPH on August 15.

During the visitors’ hour of the September 8 session, the complainant narrated their experience at the hospital, including the alleged treatment of her daughter-in-law while she was experiencing labor pains.

The complainant alleged that a health worker questioned the patient’s crying and told them to move to another room.

Following the complaint, the committees sought clarification from the concerned hospital officials. Doctors, nurses and other health personnel who were on duty when the incident occurred were also present and were given an opportunity to explain their side.

The health personnel explained the circumstances surrounding the patient’s treatment, including her initial assessment at the KPH outpatient department due to elevated blood pressure and her subsequent admission for labor watch when she returned.

They also explained that access to the labor room was restricted to maintain sanitation and prevent possible contamination, particularly because women in labor may experience bleeding.

‘Not to point fingers’

KPH obstetrician-gynecologist Dr. Marriane Baggay also explained that the hospital was experiencing a shortage of obstetricians at the time.

She said there were periods when she was the only available OB attending to patients because another obstetrician was on leave, resulting in a heavy workload and the referral of some patients to hospitals in Tuguegarao when cases could no longer be safely accommodated.

The patient was eventually brought to Taclobao, where Baggay later performed a cesarean section after learning that no OB was available to attend to her there.

Kitongan said hearing directly from the personnel who were on duty was important in determining what actually happened and identifying areas where KPH services could be improved.

He emphasized that the hearing was not intended simply to determine who was at fault.

“Not to point fingers but to give both sides an opportunity to explain.”

Kitongan said the complaint should instead be used to identify problems in the delivery of hospital services and find ways to prevent similar concerns from happening to other patients.

He also cautioned against generalizing the alleged actions of a few health workers to the entire KPH workforce.

“Not everyone is like that. Only a few people may do things that affect the services provided by others,” he said.

‘One complaint should not define everyone’

Kitongan acknowledged that patient complaints must be taken seriously and properly investigated. However, he said the concerns should be assessed based on the accounts of all those involved.

He noted that the committee’s objective was to understand the circumstances surrounding the complaint while also recognizing the challenges faced by health workers.

The hearing, he said, provides an opportunity to determine what went wrong, what policies or practices may need improvement, and how the hospital can provide better services to patients.

For Kitongan, the key is fairness: listen first, understand what happened, then determine what needs to be corrected.