High-fat hospital diet alarms Beltran's wife

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High-fat hospital diet alarms Beltran's wife
First posted 04:34am (Mla time) Mar 16, 2006
Inquirer

NO MORE VIP treatment, please.

The wife of detained Anakpawis party-list Representative Crispin Beltran yesterday made this appeal as she scored the Philippine National Police General Hospital for serving food that could only worsen the condition of her hypertensive and diabetic husband.

"The PNP hospital does not seem to have a competent dietician, or any dietician at all. This is more of a prison than a hospital," Rosario Beltran told reporters.

"Ka Bel's custodians at the PNP [have been] poisoning him with inappropriate and unhealthy food ever since his detention last Feb. 25," Rosario added. Beltran, 73, was arrested on rebellion charges.

Rosario said breaded fried galunggong (round scad) seemed to be a staple food ration at the hospital as well as a meat dish with fat trimmings. She said that Beltran was also served chicken neck with the skin on and an oil-based sauce.

Family brings meals

"Those viands won't do Ka Bel any good since he has high blood pressure and he just suffered a stroke in July 2005. The vegetables they serve are also those that his doctors have advised against," Rosario said, referring to string beans and okra.

"They don't even bother to serve any fruit," Rosario said.

Beltran's family has since been bringing food to keep him from being affected by the high-fat hospital diet -- the meal also served to other patients.

"The family is bringing in the food that he needs. But since he's in the hospital, isn't it the doctors' concern to provide him with meals that would not worsen his condition?" said Lisa Ito, Beltran's public information officer.

"The doctors at the PNP hospital checked on him and they know that he can't eat high-fat, high-cholesterol food. Can't they prepare a separate meal for him given his condition?" she added.

Fellow Anakpawis party-list Representative Rafael Mariano called for the release of Beltran. "He should be treated in an environment that's not hostile," Mariano told the Inquirer.

"If his condition dictates that he be given a specific diet, he should be given that proper diet," he added.

No VIP treatment

Rosario denied statements by House Speaker Jose de Venecia and PNP Director General Arturo Lomibao that Beltran was being given VIP treatment.

"What VIP treatment are these two talking about? Inappropriate food is being served. There's no oxygen tank, alarm bell nor dextrose bottle inside his room. It's all lies and press releases that they are taking care of my husband well," Rosario said.

Evangelist Eddie Villanueva of the Jesus Is Lord Movement yesterday visited Beltran to pray over the lawmaker to fulfill an "apostolic duty."

"This is a Christian act of love," he said. "I'd like to appeal to the Arroyo government to immediately order the release of Congressman Beltran, [he] being an old man and elected by the people and also (being) hypertensive." With a report from Luige A. del Puerto