Arroyo wants to undergo digital mammography at Makati Med

MANILA, Philippines – Former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo on Thursday, December 11, asked the anti-graft court Sandiganbayan for permission to undergo a digital mammogram at the Makati Medical Center. 

Arroyo, who is now a member of Congress representing Pampanga, is on hospital arrest at the Veterans Memorial Medical Center (VMMC) due to plunder charges over the alleged misuse of P366 million worth of Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office funds when she was president.

In a motion filed Thursday, Arroyo said the VMMC does not have the necessary equipment “to perform a conclusive mammogram.” 

Arroyo’s doctor, Theresa Lopez, recommends the Makati Medical Center, the motion said.

A mammogram is an image produced using X-rays to diagnose and locate tumors of the breasts. A digital mammogram, unlike the older analog ones, allows radiologists to capture and manipulate the images so abnormalities can be seen more easily, according to the John Hopkins Breast Center.

The detained lawmaker wants to conduct the examination on Thursday, December 18, from 2 pm to 4 pm. 

Arroyo’s late mother also suffered from breast cancer, increasing the risk that Arroyo might develop the same ailment, the motion said. 

The anti-graft court earlier allowed Arroyo to leave the VMMC to attend the wake of her one-year-old grandson, who died of a heart ailment. – Rappler.com