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Health Care in The Philippines

Cherryann01

Chad Foster recently put out a video on this subject where he interviewed an American guy with a Health Care background and it is the most comprehensive and detailed video I have ever seen on this subject and is well worth a watch. He goes into every aspect and has done extensive research before moving to the Philippines and also on arrival in the Philippines. The guy has visited hospitals in Cebu, had meetings with various medical insurers and really does do a deep dive into the subject.

One thing that he did mention was that he has an agent to speed up and make sure the whole process of hospital admission and contact between the hospital and his health insurer runs smoothly. He mentioned that if the hospital just call the 0800 number on the health card for your medical insurer that it is redirected through Manila and the whole process takes longer. His agent makes admission and the process quicker.

He also makes some good points about different hospitals specialising in different things and that you should know the best hospital for treatment.

He also said that before he left the US he checked online which medications he took were available in the Philippines and the ones that were not, he researched suitable alternatives available and asked his doctor in the US if the alternatives were suitable. I think he said that he checked Watson;s Pharmacy in the Philippines to make sure they were available. He also mentioned that his local Barangay Captain has an ambulance and fire truck at his disposal.

I would recommend anybody interested should check out the video.

See also

The health system in the PhilippinesAccidents and emergencies in the PhilippinesPregnancy in the PhilippinesBasic Healthcare ManilaPreventive care in the Philippines
AlbertaDonuts

I am thinking I saw the same video.  Is this the one where he compared the Philippines health care quality to Western standards 30 years ago?  That is not to say it is bad, that is to say they can do good treatment for most things but the latest greatest cutting edge is not available.  EG, if you went to a hospital in the USA with a heart attack in 1995 you got good treatment but not all the bells and whistles you may get today.  I thought this was a great way to explain it.


I will look into the insurance in the future but at the moment I am leaning towards self insured with funds always available for an emergency.  I am curious what others think, and what experiences others have had.


Cheers,

Enzyte Bob

In the states if you had a stroke, you would call 911 and within an hour you would be saved.


In the Philippines you would be dead waiting for help.

bigpearl

I suppose Bob it depends on where you live/are in the US with regards to your response times.

If you have a stroke or heart attack in your sleep or alone the recovery odds drop dramatically.

My ambulance for me is my better half who has advanced first aid training for years working in aged care in Australia and well aware how to deal with oldies like us, also a set of wheels (the ambulance) and a 30 minute drive to a great private hospital, also our caretaker to help bundle me into the car.


If I was single/alone I would still be living in Oz and not here, and calling 000 or your 911 I could be waiting more than an hour for an ambulance as the closest is 20 minutes from our old farm and Oz has a problem with ramping,,,,,,,, ambulances waiting at the hospitals to offload the patient because of staffing and bed shortages.


When out and about I avoid getting hit by a bus.


Cheers, Steve.

gregparker6201

I self insure due to the compatibly low cost of healthcare here. Wife is dual citizen so she can avail the free hospital if required. I do get a complete blood screen done every 6 months to make sure nothing is getting out of control. Roughly 2000 peso’s

Myself and friends are generally in better shape than when in our home countries. I have lost 40 lbs, blood pressure meds cut in 1/2 mainly due to less stress, diet not using prepackaged foods and a better climate

I honestly don’t think I know anyone who has Philippine issued health insurance.

As per bigpearl’s reply 911 ambulance service , my wife can drive me to the hospital in 15 minutes,  I have seen 911 respond to calls here in the subdivision not sure of response time

bigpearl

@AlbertaDonuts


Morning Don.


I and many have posted plenty on this topic over the years and perhaps off the OP's topic but aligned simply comes back to personal choice/research and the financial situation.

For Ben and I living and working in Oz were paying AU 10K+ per year for Medicare (tax based) and private health insurance to feed the maggots.

When we moved here over 6 years ago we decided to self insure, we stuck AU 50K into an investment account as a medical fund earning 5% then now 4.6% and regardless one needs to do the math on any investment but reality is that 50K is now worth 60K+ and never touched.

My PhilHealth is P17K, Ben 6K and our caretaker also 6K so P29K per year or 2,400 odd per month that we allow in our monthly/yearly living costs,,,,,, chicken sh1t.

My hospital bill in 6+years, P40K and our worker recently P17K, again chicken sh1t and in the mean time the emergency fund is sitting there and growing and we are not paying private health insurance for over 6 years thus saving a further AU 40/50K and the emergency fund sitting there........ As my long departed dad (30 years tomorrow) taught us wisely if you look after the pennies the dollars take care of themselves, works for me.


People need to research and do it well then do it again no matter medical but all life's choices.


Cheers, Steve.

Lotus Eater

In the states if you had a stroke, you would call 911 and within an hour you would be saved.
In the Philippines you would be dead waiting for help. - @Enzyte Bob

How many °µÍø½ûÇøs with a dicky heart die prematurely worried about the response times if they do  have a heart attack?

Cherryann01

In the states if you had a stroke, you would call 911 and within an hour you would be saved.
In the Philippines you would be dead waiting for help. - @Enzyte Bob
How many °µÍø½ûÇøs with a dicky heart die prematurely worried about the response times if they do have a heart attack? - @Lotus Eater

One of the things that surprised me in the video was that the guy being interviewed said that the local Barangay Captain had an ambulance and fire truck at his disposal. Probably quicker to phone him for an ambulance if needed than go the normal 911 route.

°µÍø½ûÇø health insurance
Protect your health and get easy access to treatment for °µÍø½ûÇøs in the Philippines.
Enzyte Bob

Lotus Eater said . . . . How many °µÍø½ûÇøs with a dicky heart die prematurely worried about the response times if they do have a heart attack?

****

Probably °µÍø½ûÇøs and others who are sleeping don't worry about heart attacks.


But I'm talking about Strokes which require immediate medical attention.


With immediate medical attention, substantial number of deaths and debilitating long term problems can be prevented.