MANILA - Supreme Court Chief Justice Alexander Gesmundo said they will be looking into the case of orthopedic surgeon Dr. Iggy Agbayani who was convicted of reckless imprudence resulting in physical injuries which caused tension between the medical and legal professions.

Agbayani died last October due to cardiac arrest at the Manila City Jail where he was incarcerated after he was convicted in the case filed by his patient, lawyer Saul Hofilena, in 2006.

“We’ll look into it, what happened exactly, so that we avoid a repeat of the situation,” Gesmundo said.

Gesmundo noted that the Supreme Court will assess the Code of Professional Responsibility and Accountability within the legal profession amid possible lapses during the trial.

“Let’s take a look if the CPRA is not enough to be able to address these incidents, if lawyers are not doing enough to protect clients,” Gesmundo said.

Gesmundo also appealed to doctors after reading social media posts that some in the medical profession are afraid of treating lawyers and judges.

Gesmundo also reminded doctors of their Hippocratic oath.

“Nabasa namin sa social media na parang natakot na yung mga doktor 
na maggamot ng mga abugado at mga huwes, lalo na ako sakitin na ako ay baka wala nang doktor na maggamot sa akin pag pumunta ako sa ER (emergency room), pag nalamang Chief Justice, hindi naman dapat ganon,” he said.