Philippine medical system sucks.

[stevewool]

how long before it will be a pay as you go NHS here, something to think about

[Doc Alan]

I’m sorry to read about your father in law. You may not wish to say which hospital he is in, or what is wrong with him, if indeed a diagnosis has been made.

I’m also sorry that you see ( the hospital as ) a money-making factory.


The vast majority of healthcare workers – doctors, dentists, nurses, and others – are dedicated, and work hard, wherever they may be. All aspects of good health care are based on evidence, not opinions. There are systems to prevent unnecessary or unproven tests and treatment - because they all require payment, directly or indirectly. As in any walk of life, there may be corruption, with “ rogue “ healthcare workers – but preventing and treating illness is not, and can never be, purely a " money-making factory " .


Health care in the Philippines does – overall – compare unfavourably with that in the UK. However, it varies from high class, equivalent to the UK, to non-existent in many rural municipalities. There are relatively far fewer doctors in the Philippines, who can earn far more abroad, and more than half of Filipinos who fall ill die without ever seeing a doctor. Life expectancy, with other measures of health, is indeed less - by about a decade. Much of health spending is still “ out of pocket “ ( if it can be afforded ), although insurance schemes ( like PhilHealth ) do provide limited cover.


This is not to say authorities are doing nothing about the situation. Resources are, however, limited by “ Western “ standards. Health expenditure in the Philippines is a smaller proportion of GDP ( itself less ) than in UK. Passing the Reproductive Health Bill would be a massive step in the right direction. Improving health workers' pay would be another.


Universal health coverage, with less “ out of pocket “ spending, is recognised to be the ideal in the Philippines, as elsewhere, but is an aim which has yet to be achieved.


Most countries seek to collect and manage funding of health care through “ risk pooling “, so that the ( unpredictable ) costs of illness do not need to be met by that person alone. Paying out of pocket is still, sadly, dominant worldwide – but many countries are moving towards universal health coverage. The Philippines aims to do this through taxation, subsidies for target populations, and collecting “ voluntary premiums “ from households.


The UK NHS will continue to be largely funded through taxation and be “ free at the point of use “. Expensive reforms in England, due to take place this year, will make little obvious difference to patients. It is imperfect, varies from one area to another, and faces austerity in the next decade. “ Lifestyle choices “ – such as smoking, eating, drinking alcohol, and exercise - obviously contribute much to its cost, but the principal remains that treatment is by and large freely available ( whatever the true cost, or provider ).


The cost to the UK public for dental treatment is the result of a contract imposed by the Government on dentists, whereby they can in many cases only provide good treatment privately – what they do is still evidence-based.


Most visitors to the Philippines from the UK – and elsewhere – have no serious health problems. Comprehensive insurance – only valid if relevant precautions such as vaccinations and medications are taken – is obviously vital. The same applies if living in the Philippines. Adequate insurance would cover repatriation to the UK if necessary.


These topics have had more detailed coverage in the Health Section of the forum. I’m sure all members would wish the best for your father in law, and also Marco's father-in-law.

[Arthur Little]

I’m sure all members would wish the best for your father in law.

Indeed, we would, Alan ... all the very BEST for the speedy recoveries of BOTH Marco's AND Keith Britten's respective fathers-in-law.

[jonnijon]

Phil Health is like anything, the more you pay every month the more you get. And the same with your SS payments.

[marksroomspain]

The costs I know from experience are astronomical as my wife was treated for severe morning sickness early in her pregnancy 47k pesos in private hospital for 4 days treatment, she was so worried at the time her own life was risk by refusing to be admitted only for my intervention and agreeing to settle the hospital bill directly

[malditako]

The costs I know from experience are astronomical as my wife was treated for severe morning sickness early in her pregnancy 47k pesos in private hospital for 4 days treatment, she was so worried at the time her own life was risk by refusing to be admitted only for my intervention and agreeing to settle the hospital bill directly

thats nearly the total cost of my ceasarian operation.

[sars_notd_virus]

she was so worried at the time her own life was risk by refusing to be admitted only for my intervention and agreeing to settle the hospital bill directly

http://www.lawphil.net/statutes/repa...8344_1997.html

This is not right , the hospital or any medical practitioner is violationg the R.A. 8344 and should be penalized...your wife should know this as she is a citizen of the Phiippines and she should know her rights.



IMPLEMENTING RULES AND REGULATIONS OF REPUBLIC ACT NO. 8344,

OTHERWISE KNOWN AS "AN ACT PENALIZING THE REFUSAL OF HOSPITALS AND MEDICAL CLINICS TO ADMINISTER APPROPRIATE INITIAL MEDICAL TREATMENT AND SUPPORT IN EMERGENCY OR SERIOUS CASES, AMENDING FOR THE PURPOSE BATAS PAMBANSA BILANG 702, OTHERWISE KNOWN AS AN ACT PROHIBITING THE DEMAND OF DEPOSITS OR ADVANCE PAYMENTS FOR THE CONFINEMENT OR TREATMENT OF PATIENTS IN HOSPITALS AND MEDICAL CLINICS IN CERTAIN CASES"

[malditako]

MCU hospital is quite good but very expensive....private hospitals are for businesss so expect the no pay no treatment as they have so many experiences before where a patient cannot afford to pay their bills at the end of the treatment. You've got to pay all the medicines, laboratory etc beforehand but if you got referral and guaranteed by your own doctor you dont need to pay upfront.

[sars_notd_virus]

Philippine medical system sucks.

I'm just experiencing the Philippine medical system, my father in law is sick in hospital, he's been there 6 days and is not showing any improvement. I'm not a qualified medical practitioner but what I see is just a money making factory. Every thing has to be paid for up front, we have to buy our own blood if we can find it or bribe someone to donate then there is no guarantee that the blood is good. I'd advise all British subjects that if they get sick buy an air ticket back to the uk, it will be a lot cheaper and you will probably live longer.

I dont agree that Philippine medical system sucks!!! we have the finest doctors, surgeons , dentist etc...the only problem with people is that they only register and get health cards when they feel very sick,..what i can advice to all british out there who want to settle in the philippines is that get a health card just or before you set your foot in the PH,theres nothing wrong in paying for it and dont use it than run around in circles once you need it....btw, if some of you say that the NHS is free here its not(we pay for it through our taxes/we pay for prescriptions), its only free at the point of delivery.

[mickmyrna]

I dont agree that Philippine medical system sucks!!! we have the finest doctors, surgeons , dentist etc...the only problem with people is that they only register and get health cards when they feel very sick,..what i can advice to all british out there who want to settle in the philippines is that get a health card just or before you set your foot in the PH,theres nothing wrong in paying for it and dont use it than run around in circles once you need it....btw, if some of you say that the NHS is free here its not(we pay for it through our taxes/we pay for prescriptions), its only free at the point of delivery.

Yeah thats right , NHS is not free because i've been to the doctors last monday and i paid £15.30 for two prescriptions ... Myrna

[joebloggs]

Yeah thats right , NHS is not free because i've been to the doctors last monday and i paid £15.30 for two prescriptions ... Myrna

no its paid for out of our taxes, but better paying what we pay than the £1000s you would need to pay to go private

[imagine]

no its paid for out of our taxes, but better paying what we pay than the £1000s you would need to pay to go private

thats right , its not free, because we pay for it with our taxes,

its only free to some in the free sense of the word

[mickmyrna]

thats right , its not free, because we pay for it with our taxes,

its only free to some in the free sense of the word

[mickmyrna]

no its paid for out of our taxes, but better paying what we pay than the £1000s you would need to pay to go private

[Michael Parnham]

NHS is the best healthcare system in the world, don't knock it, because if you lived in any other country you would soon think differently!

[fred]

NHS is the best healthcare system in the world, don't knock it, because if you lived in any other country you would soon think differently!

My Father had a feeling in his arm that a stroke was coming on..He knew this because he had 2 minor strokes before.. We took him to the NHS hospital in North London where he had the full stroke whilst waiting in line in a cold damp waiting room.. The stupid nurse called the guy two places in front of him..If they had prioritized him 20 mins earlier then things may not have gone so badly for him... The people in the Queue protested and he was then admitted in their turn..
I went to visit him daily and had to watch the nurses giving him coffee when there was a big sign at the end of his bed... NIL BY MOUTH.
He died not long after and I blame the NHS..
Wish we had the money at the time to go private.

[jonnijon]

Regional hospitals in the Philippines you only pay for medicine not the treatment.

[keith britten]

Hi Jake,Thanks for asking, I thought this post had got side tracked to other issues. He's still not good, I don't want to give to much info on here which may predudice his "treatment". He's got serious trouble with his blood platelet level and so far the docs haven't managed to correct it by giving him whole blood transfusions. Getting the blood is another problem, my wife was waiting for 4 hours at the Red Cross last night.

[jake]

Hi Jake,Thanks for asking,I thought this post had got side tracked to other issues. He's still not good, I don't want to give to much info on here which may predudice his "treatment". He's got serious trouble with his blood platelet level and so far the docs have'nt managed to correct it by giving him whole blood transfusions. Getting the blood is another problem, my wife was waiting for 4 hours at the Red Cross last night.

Sorry to hear that.
The posts do get side tracked sometimes and we are all guilty of doing that at some point. Im quite a new member as well and have found the vast majority of people on this forum are good people who will help if they can.

The reason i asked for more information was maybe somebody on this forum might be from the area your are based. They may have some valuable local knowledge that could help with your father in laws case.

Best wishes for a speedy recovery.

[keith britten]

Thanks for you best wishes Jake. This is a good site, I gained a lot of valuable information before I came to live here.

[BoholoX]

Hi Keith

Sorry to hear of your problems.

If you havent found it a forum called Living in Cebu has a network of mainly expats who are willing to donate blood, mainly in Cebu obviously but they do have Davao members. maybe worth a try?

[keith britten]

Hi Keith

Sorry to hear of your problems.

If you havent found it a forum called Living in Cebu has a network of mainly expats who are willing to donate blood, mainly in Cebu obviously but they do have Davao members. maybe worth a try?

Thanks, I have used this Cebu site before, they are very helpfull. However, blood supply is only one problem,in my opinion we need a doc who knows what he's doing.My father in law has been in the hospital for 9 days now and there is very little improvement in his condition. My wife has been with him all the time and running around every where to find blood and buy his medication. Iwish that I could be there to support her but I'm affraid if I go there and they see that their is a westoner in the family the charges would proberly double.

[jake]

Thanks, I have used this Cebu site before, they are very helpfull. However, blood supply is only one problem,in my opinion we need a doc who knows what he's doing.My father in law has been in the hospital for 9 days now and there is very little improvement in his condition. My wife has been with him all the time and running around every where to find blood and buy his medication. Iwish that I could be there to support her but I'm affraid if I go there and they see that their is a westoner in the family the charges would proberly double.

Sorry to hear there hasn't been much improvement.
I don't know the hospitals or doctors in your area so i cant recommend anybody. You should go there and give your wife some support as im sure it would help her a lot.
Personally i don't think the bill will double if you go there. If anything it might help your father in law get better treatment because you are a foreigner. If you do go be polite to everybody even if some of the things are you off.

Is he in a government or private hospital? I know both seem private as you pay either way

[raynaputi]

From previous experience from friends and their families, Red Cross accepts blood donations (regardless of blood types) as replacement (or as payment? not much sure about this) for the blood that the patient needs. Some friends had requested our group of friends to donate blood when a family member was sick. I think Red Cross do this to have stocks available as much as possible.

[imagine]

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

[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]

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.

[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.

[fred]

Also a year before I left Britain I was backended in my van (I was going 40 MPH) by a Mercedes Sprinter fully loaded going 90.
Bad accident and I was unconscious for 20 mins when they cut open my crushed vehicle on the A1 M.
They stuck me on a rigid board and into the ambulance and then to Lister Hospital.. I was wheeled into a corridor where I stayed waited 2 hours for an Xray.. They didnt even give me a pain killer!! Had the X ray and waited strapped to board for another hour before being advised that the Xray was of bad quality and I was now in a NEW queue to get have another one done.. An hour and 30 mins later... Pain was unbearable... After all that the Doc said I should stay in over night for observation.. I told him to piss off!!!! I went home..
The taxi driver asked me if I was the guy that caused the tail back from Hitchin to London.. Yes..I said.
You can keep the NHS.. Id rather go private.

[grahamw48]

In 2004 my dad suffered a brain hemorrhage/stroke. He was 81, but otherwise fit and in good health...non-smoker non-drinker. Both of his parents had lived beyond their mid-eighties and died of 'old age'.

He was taken to the small local hospital, where I went immediately to be at his side. He was unconscious and continually fitting. It was horrible.

I asked the doctors why he couldn't be taken to the main hospital about 20 miles away (where he could have had the pressure on his brain relieved), and the doctor told me that because of his age and that he had a heart murmur, it would probably be a waste of time.

He died, seemngly in agony, a few hours later, me still holding his hand.