The National Bureau of Investigation on Wednesday announced the arrest of a woman by the NBI-Special Action Unit in Quezon City for illegal practice of medicine.
NBI Officer-In-Charge (OIC) Director Eric Distor identified the suspect as Hazel Pablo, alias Hazel Pablo Laniog.
Distor said the operation stemmed from a complaint against Pablo alleging that she introduced herself as a Doctor of Aesthetic Medicine.
Pablo was presented for inquest proceedings before the Office of the City Prosecutor of Quezon City for Illegal Practice of Medicine in violation of Republic Act 2382 (The Medical Act of 1959); violation of Section 10 of RA 9711 (Food and Drug Administration Act of 2009); estafa in violation of Article 315(2)(a) and Falsification by Private Individuals and Use of Falsified Documents in violation of Article 172, both under the Revised Penal Code, as amended.
The complainant, a licensed medical practitioner, added that Pablo had been using her name, signature, and physician’s license number in prescribing post-procedure medicines to her clients in her clinic named ZSS Medicare Inc./Zelah Skincare Station (Clinic) located in San Antonio 1, Quezon City.
Witnesses also said some clients of Pablo have complained of some botched medical procedures at the clinic, which was supported by three former employees of Pablo.
Thus, on August 2, the NBI hatched an entrapment operation to catch Pablo in the act of practicing medicine. An NBI agent accompanied the poseur-client proceeded to the CLINIC to undergo medical procedure, while the other operatives strategically positioned themselves near the area.
Inside the clinic, Pablo explained to the poseur-client together with the undercover agent the procedures before the syringe containing a fat eliminator substance would be administered. The suspect also told the poseur-client and the agent that the cost of the entire treatment was P50,000.
After the preparatory procedures, Pablo informed the poseur-client that she would be injected with a syringe containing the fat eliminator substance.
When Pablo was about to inject the syringe, the undercover agent gave the pre-arranged signal to the other operatives. The NBI-SAU operatives immediately swooped in and caught Pablo in the act, holding the syringe.
NBI-SAU operatives recovered from the suspect the documents pertaining to her clients, falsified prescription receipts, unregistered cosmic products and substances, radiation, and medical devices.
Pablo also failed to present any Authorization/Permit/License/Certificate of Registration/Accreditation/Compliance/Exemption/ or any document granted by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the medical devices used in the clinic for diagnosis, monitoring and treatment of their patients.
A Certification from the Professional Regulations Commission (PRC) also showed that the name Hazel Pablo does not appear in the database of Physicians which contain the names of duly authorized to practice Medicine in the Philippines.