Health
Doctors and Hospitals
There is a distinct difference in the standard of health care between Metro Manila and the provinces. In many ways, health care in Metro Manila matches the standards of health care in western cities, at least for those who have enough money. In rural areas, however, health care has to be considered barely adequate on a western scale.
Health care in the Philippines, like education, has both private and public institutions. Private institutions generally have higher standards, and one can usually say the more expensive the better.
In public institutions, consultation as well as hospitalization is free. Just the medication has to be bought from pharmacies. But public facilities, especially in Metro Manila and other big cities, are generally overcrowded and often run down. Small towns all over The Country seem to have benefited most from the health care efforts of the government. Many small towns have public hospitals much nicer than public hospitals in the big cities.
Luxurious hospitalization is available at some private hospitals. In Metro Manila, the most renowned are Makati Medical Center and Manila Doctors Hospital. There, suite rooms match luxury hotels in comfort. Each has wall-to-wall carpeting, a kitchen equipped with refrigerator, a reception area, color TV, telephone, and of course is air-conditioned. A common practice of luxury private hospitals is that prices for facilities, operating rooms, doctors' fees and costs of medicines depend on the type of room a patient occupies. For the same services those in luxury rooms may be charged considerably more than those in wards.
It is a custom that when a Filipino is hospitalized, family members, friends or a companion stays with him most of the time. It is not unusual to find more visitors and companions than patients in a room or ward. In hospitals here, visitors can stay as long as they and the patients like, even overnight.
While nurses provide medical care they generally do not provide personal services or assistance. In provincial hospitals someone must go out to buy meals and medications but even in a first class Manila hospital personal needs of the patient are not the duty of staff members.
Private hospitals generally require a cash deposit before admission. But of course, as provided by law and medical ethics, doctors will attend to any patient in an emergency situation, without asking for money in advance. Private hospitals in Manila generally accept credit cards in payment of bills and credit card holders are normally not required to make a deposit.
Most hospitals have no special emergency numbers. Therefore when calling in case of emergency, one has to ask to be connected to the emergency room, where an ambulance may be ordered. Ambulances either charge a fixed fee (as Manila Doctors Hospital, 350 pesos within Manila proper) or charge by the kilometer (as Manila Medical Center, 30 pesos per kilometer).
All private hospitals house a number of clinics with medical specialists. When in need of a specialist it is useful to know the names of those practicing in a given hospital (see listing). Then, one may inquire by phone about their hours and fees. As some doctors ask higher fees from patients they perceive to be rich, asking fees in advance is advantageous.
Doctor's fees are not regulated and every physician sets his own charges. Fees vary widely. A general practitioner in Manila may charge 50 to 100 pesos per consultation, while a specialist charges 100 to 300. In provincial cities, doctor's fees are a little lower, and in rural areas, they are about a fourth of what is charged in the capital. Doctors in the Philippines do make house calls.
Emergency rooms often also function as out-patient clinics, with the advantage of immediate attention. Clinics in hospitals have more sophisticated diagnostic equipment and laboratories than doctors' offices.
The Philippines has a few medical centers of importance whose fame extends beyond the boundaries of The Country . They are the Philippine Heart Center for South East Asia, the Lung Center and the Kidney Foundation. All these have a competent staff and modern equipment, and not only serve as hospitals but also as training centers for young doctors. The Heart Center was established first (1975), and it is still the most famous of the three.
The tourist belt of Manila probably is unique for its high density of medical institutions. The biggest Philippine government hospital, the Philippine General Hospital, and two large private hospitals, Manila Doctor's Hospital and the Manila Medical Center are located in the area. Makati has the most expensive private hospital, the Makati Medical Center, which also has a reputation for being the best general hospital in The Country .
US veterans or Filipinos who were guerillas as well as their dependants may obtain free medical attention on an emergency basis at the Veteran's Memorial Hospital in Quezon City, Tel 98-64-26. Proof of military service is required; Filipinos need verification from the Philippine Veteran Affairs Office in the Manila City Hall, Lawton. For non-emergency care, the veteran should go to the US Veteran's Out-Patient Clinic, 2201 Roxas Blvd, Pasay City, Metro Manila. Tel 833-45-66, Mo-Fr 7:30-16:00
Those with emotional or mental problems may call the crisis line Mon-Fri 9:00-17:00, Tel (Manila) 87-22-84 for referral and counseling.
In the provinces, pharmacies are called botika (Tagalog) or sometimes the Spanish farmacia but in Manila and other large cities the US term drugstore is often used. Unlike in the West many medications can be bought over the counter. But controlled drugs like valium and some cough medicines require a prescription. Some pharmacies have a doctor on their staff or the owner is a doctor who charges only a little or not at all for a consultation if the medications are purchased at his store.
Recently the Philippines passed a generic law ruling that a patient can ask his doctor or pharmacy for a no-name brand medication with the same active ingredient as the brand name. Generics are usually cheaper but name brands are sometimes considered better because the manufacturer has a reputation to lose.
Pills and capsules can be bought singly in the Philippines so that one only needs to buy the necessary number rather than keeping a stock pile at home.
Mercury Drug is the largest chain of pharmacies in Metro Manila and the Philippines. They have a reputation for new stocks and low prices. In the tourist belt they have branches on Padre Faura St near corner Mabini St, at the corner of Taft Ave and UN Ave and in Harrison Plaza. Several pharmacies across from the Philippine General Hospital on Taft Ave near corner Pedro Gil St are open 24 hours.
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