A Filipina household worker who alleged she was a victim of medical malpractice when she was confined in a government hospital in Kuwait is asking for help from the Philippine Embassy to follow up her case with local authorities. Angelie Lumakang Nabong, a 34-year old former household worker in Kuwait who was admitted at the Maternity hospital last April for heavy menstrual bleeding and later underwent surgery supposedly to remove a myoma or tumor in her uterus, but instead had her fallopian tubes removed owing to a misdiagnosis, is still seeking for a resolution of her case even if she is no longer in Kuwait. Nabong has since returned to her home place in Cagayan de Oro in the southern Philippine island of Mindanao over a month ago after reportedly being assured by the Philippine Embassy in Kuwait that it will follow up her case; after initially insisting she will not go home until she gets to the bottom of the truth and obtain justice.

She has been communicating with this reporter through text messages, to inquire about her case from the Philippine Embassy while also asking for assistance as she is still experiencing pain due infection as her surgical wound has not yet healed completely.
Reached for comment, Atty Tomara Ayo, the Philippine Embassy legal officer handling her case, Wednesday said he never told Nabong that he will pursue her case even in her absence. “I told her she can stay at the embassy for as long as she wants so she can be available anytime to provide needed information while her case is being looked into, or if she wanted to go home and she opted for the latter,” says Ayo.

Angelie was brought by her lady employer to the hospital last April 5 after complaining of heavy menstrual bleeding. After a few days of intensive medication, her bleeding stopped and she was about to be discharged when one of her attending doctors informed tests showed she had myoma which was probably the cause of her bleeding.
She was told she cannot be discharged as she must undergo surgery to remove the tumor. She protested, saying her bleeding has stopped completely and she was already cleared for discharge. Besides, she said, she is working in a household and has no one to look after her. But the doctor was very insistent, telling her she would suffer greatly if the tumor is not removed. Despite her misgivings, she reluctantly agreed.

She underwent surgery last April 15 and came to, in the intensive care unit or ICU were she reportedly overheard a conversation, in English, between her doctors and a senior colleague who she said was obviously a local, asking what procedure was done on her and that was when she said she heard the word “ligation,” being mentioned before the rest of the conversation switched to Arabic.
Afterwards, she said she was approached by the senior physician who then asked her if any of her doctors informed her that she did not have myoma and when she said no, she was told they performed tubal ligation on her instead.
She remained at the hospital for over three months as her recuperation was slow due to recurrent infections to her surgical wound.
After she was finally cleared for discharge sometime in July, she refused, asking instead that the Ministry of Health investigate her case after alleging that the contents of the medical report issued to her was different from what was on her medical chart and sought the help of the Philippine Embassy in this regard.

Atty. Ayo said that he requested the hospital management to provide him a copy of the consent form that Nabong signed which shows what procedure was performed on her. “Unfortunately, I went on vacation and returned just recently. I will check with the hospital about it,” he added. But in a faxed letter from the Public Relations & Information Department of the Ministry of Health, dated 10 August 2009, in reply to two articles about Nabong’s case in the June 28 and July 4, 2009 issues of the Arab Times, Dr. Jehad Al Harmi, Head of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the Maternity Hospital said, and quote: “The case of the lady came to the attention of the administration at Maternity Hospital on the same day that her surgery took place. An internal review was initiated at the Head of the Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology one week later because some complications were discovered; this was long before the patient herself or the Philippine Embassy took any action as this is routine procedure in such cases.

The medical report that the patient received is accurate and in complete accordance with the information in the medical chart. The details of the clinical case cannot be divulged as this would breach confidentiality. The discharge procedure, and conversations that the patient overheard, whether they were in English or Arabic, the patient cannot be expected to fully comprehend what was exchanged.
The result of the internal review has been communicated to the hospital director for the necessary action.” Atty. Ayo asked this reporter to relay to Nabong that she should go to the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration of OWWA regional office in Cagayan de Oro and there ask for assistance to go to a medical facility to undergo medical tests to ascertain if indeed she has no myoma or that she underwent tubal ligation, as this would help her case.

Arabtimes