Philippine medical system sucks.

[imagine]

there are good and bad points to the nhs, nothings perfect, waiting times being a bad point,

but the overall service in my view is excellent,

i was well taken care of while i was being treated for cancer and the treatment complications that i endured throughout, i have no cause to complain,
i am grateful for the treatment and care i recieved from both doctors and nurses

[keith britten]

I started this tread to try and get help for my father in law however it seems to have got side tracked into the pro's and con's of the NHS. However as we are talking about it I would like to say that If I was in a NHS hospital with a blood condition I would expect to be treated by a Hemotologist not a GP who seems to be stabbing in the dark.Also I would expect to have access to blood supplies and not having to go to the Red Cross begging for blood and being told that they don't have any. Today the hospital "doc" says we need 4 more bags of platelets for transfusion, no hope!

[Doc Alan]

Once again please accept sympathy and best wishes from me and all other members for your father in law.


It’s hard, however, NOT to compare health care in the Philippines with that in the UK, since most members live in one or other country.

Many UK residents inevitably have never experienced any other healthcare system and set our standards accordingly.

In the UK we expect blood to be available whenever required – yet 95 out of 100 rely on donation by the other 5. In the Philippines 99 rely on 1 in every 100.


In the UK and the Philippines there is indeed a specialty of haematology, requiring arduous training AFTER full general medical qualification. However, it’s not popular , and is a shortage specialty in both countries – far more so in the Philippines. Part of the duty of, and service provided by, haematologists is advice to General Practitioners.


Other members have offered helpful advice, and I – to the best of my ability – have tried to explain the reasons for the overall lower quality of health care in the Philippines. Essentially if it does “ suck “ in the latter country, it’s due to lack of resources, not lack of effort.


I understand you’re not a qualified medical practitioner. However, from your personal experience, perhaps you would care to offer suggestions as to how healthcare in the Philippines might be improved ?

These could include :-
• Subsidize training, pay qualified health care workers more and stop the brain drain of the majority of graduates.
• “ Doctors to the Barrios “ - encourage medical graduates to spend a couple of years or so in the country’s poorest and most remote barrios and villages.
• Drop privatisation plans for for government hospitals ( such as Philippine Orthopedic Centre and Research Institute for Tropical Medicine in Metro Manila ).
• Reduce corruption. Improve the Philippines economy.
• Encourage donation - under safe circumstances - of blood and organs.
• Make universal healthcare a basic human right guaranteed by the constitution. Expand PhilHealth care for all Filipinos and target the poorest members of the community. Develop health promotion, education, screening and vaccination.
Make sure medicines - such as antibiotics for TB and antimalarials - are safe/genuine, appropriate, and taken for the full course ( patient compliance ).
ALL of these suggestions would help, and have already been considered – if they could be implemented.

[fred]

Keith..Where are you in the R.P?
I have experienced medical nightmares in the R.P too.. Im not going to say too much about that except that I needed to find 3 pints of blood in the 90`s at 3am in the morning..
We found some doners but my Mrs says she`s pleased that we managed to find a blood bank in the closest city to us at the time as all the doners were blind drunk and just looking for some quick cash..
Are you sure that there are no blood banks within lets say a 100 miles from your present location?
Tell us where you are and perhaps we can do a little research together..
Who knows..One of our members may know where you can purchase some..
From memory,back then I paid 1,500 for one bag x 3.
The blood was thoroughly screened and labelled.
We want to help you if we can..
Why cant you find a suitable blood donor BTW? If the word gets around that you are offering cash for blood then I cant see why there wont be an unlimited supply.

[keith britten]

Keith..Where are you in the R.P?
I have experienced medical nightmares in the R.P too.. Im not going to say too much about that except that I needed to find 3 pints of blood in the 90`s at 3am in the morning..
We found some doners but my Mrs says she`s pleased that we managed to find a blood bank in the closest city to us at the time as all the doners were blind drunk and just looking for some quick cash..
Are you sure that there are no blood banks within lets say a 100 miles from your present location?
Tell us where you are and perhaps we can do a little research together..
Who knows..One of our members may know where you can purchase some..
From memory,back then I paid 1,500 for one bag x 3.
The blood was thoroughly screened and labelled.
We want to help you if we can..
Why cant you find a suitable blood donor BTW? If the word gets around that you are offering cash for blood then I cant see why there wont be an unlimited supply.

Thank you Fred for you comments, we are in Davao City where you would think there would be blood supplies but there is only one blood bank here at the Red Cross. We to are paying P1,500 for whole blood and I think P800 for platelets. We have just been told by this doc that we need to buy platelet apheresis blood and also find a donor for it. This blood costs P12,000, I thought the Red Cross was none profit making organisation,I've done some research into this apheresis stuff and although the process of obtaining it from a donor is more complicated,I cannot see the reason for this massive price hike. It's proving very difficult to find donors even with cash incentive.

[jake]

Keith,
How's your father in law?
The reason people haven't tried to help you is they either don't know the answer or you haven't given them enough information.
Getting the best care for him may require you moving him to another hospital and spending more. Don't want to sound insensitive but that's how things work here.
They have the contacts and would probably be able to find blood when it may seem there is a shortage in the area.
As fred says keep trying to find donors as im sure some will come forward if the word is out.

Best wishes

[keith britten]

Keith,
How's your father in law?
The reason people haven't tried to help you is they either don't know the answer or you haven't given them enough information.
Getting the best care for him may require you moving him to another hospital and spending more. Don't want to sound insensitive but that's how things work here.
They have the contacts and would probably be able to find blood when it may seem there is a shortage in the area.
As fred says keep trying to find donors as im sure some will come forward if the word is out.

Best wishes

Thanks Jake. Like I have said before, I don't want to give to much information on here as it may predudice his "treatment". He's not showing much sign of improvement where he is but as for moving him,this is not really an option, the old saying "better the devil you know" comes into play. If anyone wants to help we need urgently A positive donors in Davao City.

[keith britten]

Once again please accept sympathy and best wishes from me and all other members for your father in law.


It’s hard, however, NOT to compare health care in the Philippines with that in the UK, since most members live in one or other country.

Many UK residents inevitably have never experienced any other healthcare system and set our standards accordingly.

In the UK we expect blood to be available whenever required – yet 95 out of 100 rely on donation by the other 5. In the Philippines 99 rely on 1 in every 100.


In the UK and the Philippines there is indeed a specialty of haematology, requiring arduous training AFTER full general medical qualification. However, it’s not popular , and is a shortage specialty in both countries – far more so in the Philippines. Part of the duty of, and service provided by, haematologists is advice to General Practitioners.


Other members have offered helpful advice, and I – to the best of my ability – have tried to explain the reasons for the overall lower quality of health care in the Philippines. Essentially if it does “ suck “ in the latter country, it’s due to lack of resources, not lack of effort.


I understand you’re not a qualified medical practitioner. However, from your personal experience, perhaps you would care to offer suggestions as to how healthcare in the Philippines might be improved ?

These could include :-
• Subsidize training, pay qualified health care workers more and stop the brain drain of the majority of graduates.
• “ Doctors to the Barrios “ - encourage medical graduates to spend a couple of years or so in the country’s poorest and most remote barrios and villages.
• Drop privatisation plans for for government hospitals ( such as Philippine Orthopedic Centre and Research Institute for Tropical Medicine in Metro Manila ).
• Reduce corruption. Improve the Philippines economy.
• Encourage donation - under safe circumstances - of blood and organs.
• Make universal healthcare a basic human right guaranteed by the constitution. Expand PhilHealth care for all Filipinos and target the poorest members of the community. Develop health promotion, education, screening and vaccination.
Make sure medicines - such as antibiotics for TB and antimalarials - are safe/genuine, appropriate, and taken for the full course ( patient compliance ).
ALL of these suggestions would help, and have already been considered – if they could be implemented.

Thank you for your comments,I agree whole heartedly. There is one word in your statement that would proberly solve most and that is "coruption". If you get rid of that proberly every thing else would fall into place, sadly that will never happen. As for Philhealth,my father-in-law had been subscribing to that all of his life,the ammount he got back from then barely paid for his first prescription.

[fred]

Keith.. Check this link and let us know if your wife has called all of these places in Davao.. There are quite a few pages there listing different blood banks...so get your pen out. Hopefully you find one with stock.
http://www.nvbsp.com/BSF%20Interacti...t/region11.pdf

[fred]

Might be worth posting a request here too..

http://www.facebook.com/pages/DAVAO-BLOOD-CENTER/265028037157

And here is the red cross FB page.. Post there too.. You never know.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Davao-...45696368782782

I see you have already posted on Blood donor`s Davao..

[fred]

Give this guy a call... His name is Bob Martin and seems to have a lot of contacts in Davao as he has lived there for over 10 years or more.. Perhaps he will have a few practical suggestions for you..From reading his website he seems like a thoroughly decent geezer. (for a Yank!)
http://liveinthephilippines.com/content/contact-us-2/
contact Bob Martin via telephone, his cell phone number is +63(949) 521-3046. That number is available during business hours in the Philippines, 8-5 on weekdays. At other times it will not be answered.

[keith britten]

Give this guy a call... His name is Bob Martin and seems to have a lot of contacts in Davao as he has lived there for over 10 years or more.. Perhaps he will have a few practical suggestions for you..From reading his website he seems like a thoroughly decent geezer. (for a Yank!)
http://liveinthephilippines.com/content/contact-us-2/
contact Bob Martin via telephone, his cell phone number is +63(949) 521-3046. That number is available during business hours in the Philippines, 8-5 on weekdays. At other times it will not be answered.

Thanks Fred, already contacted him, afraid he could'nt help.

[keith britten]

Keith.. Check this link and let us know if your wife has called all of these places in Davao.. There are quite a few pages there listing different blood banks...so get your pen out. Hopefully you find one with stock.
http://www.nvbsp.com/BSF%20Interacti...t/region11.pdf

She has called some but apparently a lot of them have transfered to Davao Red Cross.We'll try some more but we have'nt got transport to get to the far one's.

[keith britten]

Might be worth posting a request here too..

http://www.facebook.com/pages/DAVAO-BLOOD-CENTER/265028037157

And here is the red cross FB page.. Post there too.. You never know.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Davao-...45696368782782

I see you have already posted on Blood donor`s Davao..

Looked at the facebook one yesterday, it does'nt seem very active.

[keith britten]

Update. My father-in-law had a platelet transfusion but unfortunately it did'nt have much effect, we are still trying to find donors for another try. Now frustration is setting in. I have just learned that my blood group would be compatable with his BUT the Red Cross refuses to let me donate because of my age, I'm 66 and their very low cut off age is 50. I was a donor in the uk for over 30 years and if I were there now I could still donate. Surely it's my risk and if my blood is ok then why can't I be given the opportunity to help him?

[andy222]

wishing Marco and Keith Britten's fathers-in-laws a quick recovery back to health

Here here.
Well I have just got back from phils and just read this post. I am shocked but not surprised especially at the cost for treatment. Going off the topic a bit I was talking to a friend of the wifes while I was there and she is married to a american. She gave me an example. She took her kid for inoculations and she knew the price of the injections for a filipino kid. As soon as the doctor saw the kid was half foreign the price went up. From what she told me is as soon as they see foreign involvement the price goes up. I dont wish to offend any filipiinos on here but it does seem to be the case from what I have heard.

[jake]

Thank you for keeping us up to date. Noticed people will post a thread then disappear
Even though you are willing to take the risk they will implement their rules because you are a foreigner. I agree it should be up to you but if something happened it would bring bad publicity for the red cross.
Surprised you haven't managed to find enough donors if you are offering cash. Has your wife's family spoken to the barangay captain etc. Maybe you could offer free transport to and from the hospital as well as cash. Could fill a bus load from my barangay with that offer!

[jake]

Here here.
Well I have just got back from phils and just read this post. I am shocked but not surprised especially at the cost for treatment. Going off the topic a bit I was talking to a friend of the wifes while I was there and she is married to a american. She gave me an example. She took her kid for inoculations and she knew the price of the injections for a filipino kid. As soon as the doctor saw the kid was half foreign the price went up. From what she told me is as soon as they see foreign involvement the price goes up. I dont wish to offend any filipiinos on here but it does seem to be the case from what I have heard.

Welcome back. Hope you had a great time with your wife and stepdaughter.
Although over pricing does happen its not always the case. I dont think it is fair for anyone to make people believe this kind of behavior is indicative of the whole country as it is not.

[andy222]

Yes I had a great time thanks. I take on board what you are saying not all is bad. I was just quoting what my wifes friend told me. I think it is like most places the few bad people make it look bad for others.

[jake]

Yes I had a great time thanks. I take on board what you are saying not all is bad. I was just quoting what my wifes friend told me. I think it is like most places the few bad people make it look bad for others.

Correct

[keith britten]

Here here.
Well I have just got back from phils and just read this post. I am shocked but not surprised especially at the cost for treatment. Going off the topic a bit I was talking to a friend of the wifes while I was there and she is married to a american. She gave me an example. She took her kid for inoculations and she knew the price of the injections for a filipino kid. As soon as the doctor saw the kid was half foreign the price went up. From what she told me is as soon as they see foreign involvement the price goes up. I dont wish to offend any filipiinos on here but it does seem to be the case from what I have heard.

Your so right, I've experienced that lots of times.

[keith britten]

Thank you for keeping us up to date. Noticed people will post a thread then disappear
Even though you are willing to take the risk they will implement their rules because you are a foreigner. I agree it should be up to you but if something happened it would bring bad publicity for the red cross.
Surprised you haven't managed to find enough donors if you are offering cash. Has your wife's family spoken to the barangay captain etc. Maybe you could offer free transport to and from the hospital as well as cash. Could fill a bus load from my barangay with that offer!

Not here, they're probably all drunk.

[keith britten]

Further up date. We found a donor, a Canadian guy here on vacation. We took him to the Red Cross and they refused him because he had'nt been in the Philippines for a year or more. Also happened to drop into San Pedro hospital to collect something, a large poster in the foyer stating donors wanted next saturday, the cut off age there was 65 not 50 as per the Red Cross and no mention of having to reside here for a year. The Red Cross also won't take blood from British donors because of "mad cow disease", I think that event was 27 years ago.

[grahamw48]

Unbelievable.

Wishing you the best of luck.

[Tawi2]

"Mindanao bob" wont be able to help,keith PM me your cell-number,i will get someone to call you tomorrow,she has a lot of contacts,she took me to dinner and we were seated only a few tables from 'Erap she is an old atanean from Davao so knows a lot of healthcare professionals,I know one of her best mates is a doctor who now lives in Tagbilaran but graduated in Davao.

[Rosie1958]

I’ve only just come across this thread and I am so sorry to read of your plight, Keith, and your father- in- law’s poor health. I know from first- hand experience how quickly the private healthcare system in the Philippines can drain even a well-lined pocket. Unfortunately, I have also experienced the price hike because a Westerner was involved with medical treatment but a bit of renegotiation/ begging by my Filipina sister-in-law resolved that issue.

I sincerely hope that you find an acceptable donor as soon as possible, our thoughts and very best wishes are with you and your family. Please do keep us posted.

[keith britten]

I’ve only just come across this thread and I am so sorry to read of your plight, Keith, and your father- in- law’s poor health. I know from first- hand experience how quickly the private healthcare system in the Philippines can drain even a well-lined pocket. Unfortunately, I have also experienced the price hike because a Westerner was involved with medical treatment but a bit of renegotiation/ begging by my Filipina sister-in-law resolved that issue.

I sincerely hope that you find an acceptable donor as soon as possible, our thoughts and very best wishes are with you and your family. Please do keep us posted.

Thank you for your coments and best wishes. My wife asked me to stay away from the hospital because of these price hikes but now my father-in-law has been in there for 2 weeks I just had to go there and support my wife . The first day I was the the doc came into the room and his eye's lit up, you could see the peso numbers rolling round like a fruit machine. After a brief chat with him to put right his assumpsion that I was Americano or Canadian, I told him that I was British and living on a uk state pension. He proberly went back to his office to google uk pension rates.

[stevewool]

seems in all things that happens in the phils, the best thing is to leave it all to the partners you just stay in the back ground

[jake]

Still don't understand why you cant find filipino's to donate blood. Your wife's family? Most families here are large and consist of at least 100 aunts/cousins/nephews etc. Friends of your wife's family?
I wont deny that some doctors see foreigners as prime targets for extra money and sometimes even unnecessary procedures but please don't put them all in the same category.
There are some excellent hospitals and doctors here. If i had any doubts i would seek a second opinion and move the person if i felt it was necessary.
My wife had a operation a couple of years ago and even though it was expensive the service (sorry doc) was first class from the moment she entered until she left.
If anybody is planning to live here in the future and you are worried about medical treatment you should study the hospitals before the nice beaches.
Keith..best wishes

[andy222]

seems in all things that happens in the phils, the best thing is to leave it all to the partners you just stay in the back ground

Great advice thats what I do.. All the best Keith it must be a nightmare for you.