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Doctor says Erap should be confined


The personal doctor of detained President Joseph Estrada recommended Monday a minimum confinement of three days for the deposed Philippine leader due to back pains and breathing difficulty. Testifying before the Sandiganbayan Special Division, Dr. Lorenzo Hocson said his patient would have to undergo a battery of physical examinations including blood test, x-rays, pulmonary function tests, electrocardiogram (ECG), and if possible, echocardiogram (2D-echo). 2D-echo is a procedure wherein the patient is made to lie down on a stretcher and a small transducer wand will be moved around his chest to obtain ultrasound images of his heart. "He (Estrada) called me up (by mobile phone) three days ago and he told me that every time he walks, he develops shortness of breathing and occasional chest pains," Hocson told the antigraft court. Hocson’s testimony was presented by Estrada’s lawyers in compliance with a court directive requiring them to expound on their request that Estrada be given a one-week pass during the Holy Week to undergo a through medical checkup at the Asian Hospital and Medical Center in Muntinlupa City. In his testimony, however, Hocson said that he preferred that Estrada be taken to the San Juan Medical Center where he is the medical director. He explained that x-rays are necessary to enable the physicians to check on Estrada’s spinal discs or the protective shock-absorbing pads between the bones of the spine. In October 2003, Estrada was treated at the Asian Hospital with a series of pelvic traction, a procedure in which the patient is made to lie down and a machine pulls the lower half of the body while the upper half is stable, to lessen his lower-back pain due to slipped disks. "The purpose of the procedure (x-ray) is to see if the condition (of his disks) has progressed or worsened. If it worsened, surgery may be contemplated," Hocson said. On cross-examination by Special Prosecutor Dennis Villa-Ignacio, Hocson admitted that his information was obtained only through telephone conversations with Estrada as he has not made a personal examination of the ousted leader. Estrada is currently detained at his resthouse villa in Tanay, Rizal, about 53 kilometers east of Manila. Prosecutors were ordered to file their comment to the motion Tuesday afterwhich the issue will be deemed submitted for resolution. Villa-Ignacio said the prosecution will pose no objection as long as Estrada’s lawyers are able to establish that the requested medical tests are proper and necessary. - GMANews.TV