By Jeffrey Damicog

The parents of a dead 12-year-old girl are eyeing to sue a government hospital for refusing to turn over to them her missing organs, the Public Attorney’s Office (PAO) said.

“They want the hospital sued,” said PAO forensics expert Dr. Erwin Erfe about the parents of RB Dichoso Tamonan, 12, who died after receiving three shots of the anti-dengue vaccine Dengvaxia.

Erfe recounted that the PAO forensic team was supposed to conduct an autopsy on the remains of the child last December 6 at the request of the family who suspected that her death was caused by the still experimental vaccine.

However, Erfe said the autopsy was suspended after the forensic team discovered that her internal organs were missing.

He subsequently learned that the East Avenue Medical Center (EAMC) where the girl was confined and passed away took her internal organs.

Erfe also found out from the mother that she signed a document permitting the hospital to take tissue samples from the dead child.

“However, the document did not indicate that the hospital can take whole organs,” he pointed out.

“What the hospital did can be considered as theft,” the PAO official said aside from being unethical under the rules of the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC).

The PAO had already written a letter to the EAMC demanding the return of the organs.

In the letter addressed to EAMC medical chief Dr. Alfonso Nunez, the PAO said “according to our client, Bernadette Dichoso, she was made to sign consent forms for the conduct of the autopsy but did not authorize the removal of any organs from the cadaver of the child.”

“In this connection, we formally demand for the return of all the missing organs,” stressed the letter.

So far, the EAMC has not acted on the PAO demands.