Locsin apologizes to British gov’t as man dies after waiting 8 hours in ambulance

June 19, 2020

Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. Friday apologized to the British government after a Briton died while  being made to wait in an ambulance for eight hours.

''British national Barry died yesterday after being turned away by Chong Hua Mandaue, told to go to Chong Hua Fuente where he was made to wait in the ambulance from 2 to 10 pm,'' said Locsin in his Twitter account.

“(He) never complained; got cardiac arrest; doctors didn’t help. He died. Shame. Abject apologies to UK,” Locsin added.

Locsin said he was informed that the hospital, which supposedly turned the Briton away, was “filled to the rafters” with coronavirus patients.

“To the UK ambassador: to be fair the hospital Ch(o)ng Hua—one of the best in the country—says it is filled to the rafters with the infected grossly undercounted by the city (government),” Locsin said.

“Why our president put the city in extreme quarantine. And it’s not working. Little or no cooperation,” Locsin added.

On Monday, President Rodrigo Duterte placed Cebu City back under the enhanced community quarantine until the end of June.

As of June 18, Cebu City had a total of 4,137 cases but only 2,078 were active. It reported 58 deaths and 2,001 recoveries. DMS