Stripped of life: Family of man mummified in packaging tape decries hospital’s indifference

by: Rowena Joy Flores

He resembled something straight out of a horror movie. The sight horrified the relatives of a deceased man in Nueva Vizcaya, but not in the way that anyone was expecting. They found their beloved mummified in packaging tape.

Most hospitals are wary of patients because of the pandemic. Those who die from the virus are sent immediately to the cemeteries in cloth or body bags. But 23-year-old Merwin Jay Fabrigas Sapipi was not admitted to the hospital for COVID. He did not even die from COVID. What enraged his grieving family was not only the way his cadaver was handled, but also how Merwin was brought to the COVID-19 ward and taken off life support without the family’s consent.

Last April 30, Merwin was rushed to the Region II Trauma and Medical Center (TMC) in Bayombong, Nueva Vizcaya after his motorcycle collided with a dump truck. The medical staff had to amputate his right leg in the isolation facility room. Moments later, Merwin was rushed to the intensive care unit. The next day, he succumbed to his injuries and passed away.

Merwin’s photo circulated online. Wrapped in brown packaging tape, he resembled a mummy on top of a black sheetless bed. Liberty Sapipi, his aunt, posted the photo and shared her sentiments on Facebook. There, she claimed that those who wrapped her nephew failed to do a decent job and rushed the taping process.

“Kawawang kawawa hitsura ng anak ko, Ma’am,” Merwin’s mother, Mitchilou Fabrigas Sapipi told reporters in a video from GMA News. “Halos lumabas po yung mata.”

(My son looks really pitiful, Ma’am. His eyes are almost coming out.)

Mitchilou was dismayed. She believes that her son would still be alive had the medical staff not taken off his life suport.

“Hiling ko po sa nurse, sa doctor na bigyan pa nila ng chance at nakikita ko naman po na humihinga palang yung anak ko. Hindi po sila nakikinig sa akin,” she told reporters in a video from GMA News.

(I pleaded with the nurse, the doctor to give (him) a chance because I can see that my son is still breathing. They were not listening to me.)

The hospital says otherwise. Dr. Napoleon Obaña, medical director at the Region II TMC, insists that they did not remove the life support when the patient was still alive. He explained that the life support was only removed after the patient was declared dead, and that they used it for other patients who need it.

The Region II TMC also explained that they had to treat Merwin as a suspected COVID patient as per their protocol. This was because Merwin worked in Madela, Quirino where there were many COVID cases.

“May upsurge ng cases sa Quirino, so we want to safeguard also ang mga taga-Vizcaya. We have to treat it as parang COVID na rin dahil baka mag-infect eh, baka magkalat ng infection,” Obaña said.

(There is an upsurge of cases in Quirino, so we want to also safeguard the people in Vizcaya. We have to treat it like COVID because it may cause infection, infection may spread.)

Protocol also compelled the treatment center to wrap Merwin’s body in a layer of cloth then tape, before he is sealed in a cadaver bag and transferred to the morgue. If only there was no suspicion of him having COVID, there would have been no need to bind his remains. For this, Merwin’s family blames the late arrival of his swab test result. He was confirmed negative for COVID on May 2.

To Merwin’s family, the issue goes beyond the way Merwin’s body was treated. They felt like their son was not cared for.

“Naghahagulgol nalang po ako ng iyak doon. Ayaw ko sanang mangyari. ‘Nagawa niyong manok ang anak ko’ sabi ko na, pero wala silang pakialam, Ma’am. Imbes na yung anak ko sana sila naman sana ang mag-asikaso para madagdagan ang buhay, ganun pa po ang ginawa nila,” Mitchilou said.

(I could only cry there. If possible, I do not want this to happen. ‘You treated my son like a chicken’ I told them, but they do not care, Ma’am. Instead of taking care of my son so that his life would be prolonged, they treated him like that.)

Perhaps the horrifying thing about this is that it can happen to anyone. Until the number of cases in the country reaches zero, anyone who dies from COVID can be mummified in tape. Anyone can be admitted to a hospital for a different reason and be suspected of having COVID. Anyone can be treated as just a number on the daily casualty list.

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References:

CoconutsManila. 2021. “The Mummy: Dead Man Wrapped with Tape by Nueva Vizcaya Hospital | Coconuts Manila.” Coconuts. May 12, 2021. https://coconuts.co/manila/news/the-mummy-dead-man-wrapped-with-tape-by-nueva-vizcaya-hospital/.

GMA News. 2021. “Bangkay Ng Lalaking Naaksidente, Binalot Ng Ospital Ng Packing Tape | GMA News Feed.” Www.facebook.com. May 12, 2021. https://www.facebook.com/gmanews/videos/491947208668243/.

Sapipi, Liberty. 2021.Sorry for the word.” Facebook, May 3, 2021. https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=11467505091132473&id=100013926041500

Visaya, Vince Jacob. 2021. “Dead Man Taped like a ‘Mummy.’” Manila Times, May 13, 2021. https://www.manilatimes.net/2021/05/13/news/regions/dead-man-taped-like-a-mummy/872647/amp/.