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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider Metro Manila devider De Lima asks court for furlough to undergo medical exam

De Lima asks court for furlough to undergo medical exam

Published Feb 9, 2021 09:55 pm

Detained Sen. Leila de Lima, 61, has asked a Muntinlupa court to grant her medical furlough so she can be examined by doctors due to health issues she has been experiencing including a liver mass and “lingering pain between her left breast and upper left abdomen, along with occasional bouts of nausea.”

Senator Leila de Lima, wearing a face mask, face shield and PPE, arrives at the Muntinlupa Hall of Justice on Feb. 9 to attend a court hearing in one of her drug cases. (Facebook/Leila de Lima)

In a very urgent motion, De Lima, through her lawyers, has requested the Muntinlupa Regional Trial Court Branch 256, which is handling one of her drug cases, to allow her to undergo a general medical exam such as transvaginal ultrasound for at least 24 hours between February 11 and 13 at the Manila Doctors Hospital where her doctors are based.

During her medical exam on February 15, 2018, a liver mass was found and the court granted her a medical furlough on February 22. 

While the liver mass turned out to be benign, or non-cancerous, it was never removed. De Lima failed to have a follow-up checkup in 2019 and last March, she planned to file a medical furlough to undergo several medical procedures but these were deferred due to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. 

Her doctors advised her to undergo a checkup including a CT scan of her whole abdomen and transvaginal ultrasound, which would need at least 24 hours of confinement, to fully evaluate the current condition of her liver mass and to see if the pain she is experiencing is connected to the mass. 

According to the website of the National Cancer Institute in the US, the transvaginal ultrasound is “a procedure used to examine the vagina, uterus, fallopian tubes, ovaries and bladder.” 

At the Manila Doctors Hospital, six doctors--cardiologist, pulmonologist, OB-GYN, gastroenterologist, endocrinologist, and cardiac rehabilitation specialist--will examine De Lima’s condition and conduct tests. 

De Lima will undergo reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test for COVID-19 before being admitted for confinement at the hospital. She assured the court that she and her companions will follow health and safety protocols including wearing Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). She also told the court that she will pay for all the costs of her furlough.

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