Suarez: Arroyo needs to undergo bone biopsy

Former President and now Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo should go through a bone biopsy which can only be offered abroad, so that the cause of her sickness can be identified easily and to find cure for her rare bone disorder, according to Senior Deputy Minority Leader and Quezon Representative Danilo Suarez.

According to Suarez, "The former president's doctors at the SLMC (St. Luke's Medical Center ) are not ruling out some kind of a bone disease and that procedure (biopsy) is not available here." The recommendation was indicated in the medical abstract released by SLMC, which Suarez read when he visited Arroyo on Tuesday. The Senior Deputy Minority Leader said, "(A) rare metabolic bone disease could not be totally ruled out and she may require a bone biopsy."

Earlier, Justice Secretary Leila de Lima asked for Health Secretary Enrique Ona to check on the condition of Arroyo and request for certification on the medical condition of GMA.

Suarez, on the other hand said, "She is recovering from her surgery but I'm not sure about her long-term healing. I'm sure the controversies surrounding her are also taking a toll on her health but she wouldn't admit that, knowing her."

Arroyo's condition was known as "hypoparathyroidism," which stops the production of calcium in the body. — ARA