MANILA, Philippines?The medical staff involved in the VSMMC surgery incident should lose their licenses. There should be no second chances for people who took their medical oath and clearly violated it. Now, this incident makes us fear going to health institutions that are supposed to take care of us when we?re sick.

What those doctors and nurses did?making fun of the operation and the unfortunate patient?was not an ?honest reaction? or a ?knee-jerk response.? Some thought?some humanity? should?ve gone into what they did.

Compassion should be the primary characteristic of a healer, or someone involved in the business of caring for sick people. Since those doctors showed that they didn?t possess compassion, they ought to quit their professions pronto.

The gross insensitivity they showed the patient during surgery?no matter how ridiculous they thought the medical situation was?is inexcusable. They should?ve thought about that before they giggled at the misfortune of someone they were supposed to take care of.

If we excuse this kind of behavior, it will set a very dangerous precedent for the health-care givers of today and the future. Let them be a precedent for something else: strict adherence to proper ethics in the medical profession.

Strict is a novel adjective in this country, but when we have a clear-cut chance to implement it, why not do it?

Those medical staff should pay the price for what they did. Sanction them! So that, someday, should we find ourselves in an equally vulnerable position as did the victim of this incident, then we should have nothing to fear. And, please, don?t even let anyone inject any homophobic or gay-bashing comments into this incident. They are way beside the point.

What?s worse is, while we?re all seething at this story, the hospital just saw fit to reprimand the concerned medical staff via a presscon, without revealing the identities. They ended the gathering by telling the team that they should ?never do this again,? or something to that effect.

Most of them will probably go on with their medical practice.

Now that, for me, is the scandal.

The author is the founder of Rock Ed Philippines.