National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) Director lawyer Nestor M. Mantaring said Tuesday that they have taken the statements of hospital employees who have access to the medical records of President Arroyo and allegedly leaked information on her breast medical check up.
Mantaring said the NBI conducted the probe on request of the Asian Hospital in Muntinlupa City to determine the possible administrative liability of any of its employees for the leakage.
“Malacañang has nothing to do with the on-going probe. This is a request of a private hospital to conduct investigation for possible administrative liability of any of its hospital employees for getting patients’ files and leaking it,” said Mantaring.
Mantaring said the medical files are confidential and medical practitioners and employees are governed by a law on doctor-patient confidentiality.
The NBI director said the bureau investigators have already taken statements from individuals of the hospital but would not name them.
While admitting that the employees who have access to medical records have already given statements to the NBI Anti-Fraud and Computer Crimes Division (AFCCD) who went to the hospital on Monday, Mantaring would not confirm if the President’s doctors and nurses who have attended to President Arroyo have given their respective statements to the bureau probers.
The focus of the probe is to determine the source of leakage in violation of the code of conduct for medical practitioners and the administrative liability.
“Medical records and bulletin should not be divulged without the prior consent of the patient. So we are investigating the source of the leakage and how the files were able to be downloaded from the hospital computers and leaked it,” said Mantaring but would not give further details on to the progress of the investigation.
A spokesman of President Arroyo admitted Friday that Mrs. Arroyo had breast augmentation 20 years ago but denied reports that the implants were leaking.
Press Secretary Cerge Remonde earlier said the President was declared in good health after biopsies were conducted on lumps found on her breast and groin.
"The result of the biopsy is negative. The President is in good health. You will see her moving around in the next few days. That's the best proof of her health," he said.
Arroyo, 62, checked in at a private hospital south of the capital Manila on Tuesday night after returning from two weeks of travel to Japan, Colombia, Brazil and Hong Kong. Palace officials said Mrs. Arroyo volunteered to quarantine herself after the trip despite relaxed Influenza A (H1N1) quarantine guidelines from the Department of Health.
Remonde said the President had undergone a medical check-up before her trip last month but "some test results needed follow-up," including the biopsies.
