De Lima on medical furlough at Manila Doctor's Hospital

Opposition Senator Leila M. de Lima has arrived at the Manila Doctor's Hospital today (April 24) to undergo a medical examination, as recommended by her physician after she experienced bouts of headaches and persistent generalized weakness.

De Lima, whose emergency medical furlough was granted by the two Muntinlupa courts handling her trumped-up drug charges, stated that her on-call physician, Dr. Meophilia G. Santos-Cao, said she appeared to have suffered from mild stroke.

In their respective Orders, Muntinlupa Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branches 205 and 256 allowed De Lima to go on a three-day medical furlough starting today at the Manila Doctor's Hospital.

Both Judge Liezel Aquiatan of Br. 205 and Judge Romeo Buenaventura of Br. 256 granted De Lima's Very Urgent Motion for Medical Furlough on April 23 for "health and humanitarian" reasons.

In her four-page Motion for Medical Furlough, De Lima asked the courts to allow her to go on an emergency medical furlough and hospital confinement, in order to undergo further medical examination and, if necessary, immediate treatment upon the recommendation of her on-call physician.

De Lima said she was visited by Dr. Santos-Cao last April 21 after she experienced "bouts of headaches and persistent generalized weakness."

"The examination by Dr. Santos-Cao left an impression that Accused De Lima experienced a Transient Ischemic Attack (mild stroke), hence the urgent and extremely important need to rule out a cerebrovascular accident," the document read.

De Lima said she asked the courts to allow her to be examined specifically at the Manila Doctor's Hospital because "the institution already is privy to her medical history, and it is the primary hospital of her other doctors who are consultants there."

Likewise, the medical furlough is necessary because the Philippine National Police - General Hospital (PNP-GH) currently does not have the equipment necessary to ascertain her condition such as the Magnetic Resonance Imaging and other tests.

The lady Senator from Bicol assured the courts that "she will not be staying in the hospital longer than what is called for or necessary for the conduct of the prescribed tests and that she will render regular medical reports on her condition."

She further told the courts that "proper observance of health and safety protocols will be followed, as prescribed under the IATF guidelines, and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) will be used by her and everyone who will be accompanying her during the medical furlough."

It may be recalled that De Lima was confined at the Manila Doctors Hospital for roughly 24 hours, from Feb. 11 to Feb. 12 of this year, to undergo several tests recommended by her physician and as part of her routine general medical examination.