MANILA, Philippines- Andrew and Siarra Pelayo, the parents of the baby who died after an OB-Gyn resident denied the mother’s admission at the University of Sto. Tomas (UST) hospital in Sampaloc, Metro Manila, Philippines on February 19, has decided to shed light on the issue through an interview with Dr. Willie T. Ong.
Through a viral Facebook post, Pelayo narrated how Dr. Ana Liezel Sahagun repeatedly refused to admit Siarra, who was pregnant and in critical condition at that time, because they lacked funds. Despite the couple’s pleas, Dr. Sahagun denied their admission and asked them to go to a government or charity hospital instead. Sadly, it ended in tragedy as the couple’s baby died inside the womb of Siarra because she was not given appropriate medical attention on time.
Titled “Tunay na Kuwento ng Baby Pelayo”, the video of the exclusive interview of Dr. Ong with the couple was posted on his YouTube channel.
During the interview, the two recounted the ordeal they went through which has been detailed in the viral post on Andrew’s Facebook account. But through their conversation with Dr. Ong, it was revealed that he only posted one article and his baby’s photo on his Facebook account Andrew clarified that he never posted any picture of the hospital nor the doctor involved. Moreover, he claimed that his Facebook account was hacked a few days ago and that they have no internet access as of the moment.
Towards the end of the video, Siarra left a message for everyone in the medical profession.
“Wag na po sanang maulit ulit. Di porket doktor, di porket mayaman po kayo, gagantuhin niyo na po yung mga mahihirap na katulad namen na walang karapatan na pumasok sa pribadong ospital dahil sa nangyari. Kritikal na po yung kalagayan ko noon,” Siarra said.
(I hope this will not happen again. Being a doctor or rich doesn’t give you the right to treat poor people like us like we have no right to enter a private hospital. I was in critical condition at that time.)
Watch the video:
Who is Dr. Willie Ong?
A cardiologist, internist, and author, Dr. Willie Ong is the host of ABS-CBN’s “Salamat Dok” and a columnist at the Philippine Star. He is active on social media and has over 1 million followers on his Facebook page Dr. Willie T. Ong.