# Medical Emergency



## Karog (Jan 29, 2016)

Hi to all...my first post here.

I have been traveling and living here for almost 10 years and consider myself an experienced Xpat..Enough to understand the mechanics of the Philippines...until recently...please read on.

My wife suffered a serious attack of pain in the lady house (wife’s description) area which sent us off to the local private hospital for emergency treatment...no basic equipment i.e. heart rate monitors and basic oxygen equipment were not in service...this sent off alarm bells which had us move to the main Hospital at Alaminos Doctors hospital...an overnight stay with Ultrasound and a visit from the local OB doctor in the morning had us some happy news .my wife was 7 weeks pregnant and that the attack of pain was normal which was most likely an acid attack..(Cost 10K Peso’s)...

Fast forward 1 week and my wife experienced another pain attack in the LH...this time we looked and found a second opinion from another OB doctor and another Ultrasound ...which unfortunately showed my wife had miss carried (a visual of the Uterus confirmed this).

Another 10 days passed and my wife had another more serious pain attack...3 days before we due to return to Australia...we decided to wait until we got back home and then go straight to our doctor for further tests...On arrival at our doctors we went straight into the Ultra sound which revealed my wife had an Ectopic Pregnancy (a pregnancy in the fallopian tube)...they immediately transported her to emergency and the operation was completed successfully within 4 hours... my wife has recovered well and will still be able to have children under controlled conditions i.e. IVF Support.

My story is personal and a little long winded but I think completely necessary to tell as this medical emergency could have ended with my wife passing away due to the very poor medical services available in the Philippines...I had known already it was substandard and that a medical emergency of any kind especially in the provincial areas can be a big problem. ..I did not expect the level of care and technical ability of hospitals to be as poor as it was in this case... (Blind or close minded on my behalf).

We plan to live here in the not too distant future and want to make sure we have the best medical emergency plan in place for any event ...my question to the experienced Philippine Expat is” what is the best Medical Insurance available in the Philippines if you are living here permanently that will have the best care available to western / first world standards ..”


From my experience...

Medivac to the best hospital available.
Get more than one Medical opinion.
Have reliable transport available at all times.
Have emergency cash on hand.
Have medical insurance (we did but did not cover pregnancy related illness…read the fine print).
Know the best hospital available within the shortest distance…and the safest route.

Don’t ask the local Sharman for advice.


----------



## M.C.A. (Feb 24, 2013)

Glad you both made it back to Australia and yes the health care tests here are dreadful and so are many of the smaller hospitals it like showing up in a 3rd world country...Lol hey wait we are in a 3rd world country. 

I don't plan on surviving if something happens to me, so that was my call to live with my wife and kids, it's really bad and even if you have the option of a very good hospital good luck getting their in the nick of time, traffic is unbelievable and if you've stayed over 6 months you'll need an exit clearance in order to leave the country, it just doesn't get better for us poor expats.


----------



## Karog (Jan 29, 2016)

Thanks for your reply MCA..

My wife has given me too many examples of early deaths of Pinoys from poor medical care 
that its a serious issue to the level most Philippino's are scared to get ill and generally speaking are very carefull how they go about everyday life to reduce risks (if you live there you would understand this)...i have been in emergency wards a few time prior to my recent experience and seen first hand the pay as you go system ...i.e no cash no service..no service your dead.

Happy days..


----------



## M.C.A. (Feb 24, 2013)

*Medical Emergencies*



Karog said:


> Thanks for your reply MCA..
> 
> My wife has given me too many examples of early deaths of Pinoys from poor medical care
> that its a serious issue to the level most Philippino's are scared to get ill and generally speaking are very carefull how they go about everyday life to reduce risks (if you live there you would understand this)...i have been in emergency wards a few time prior to my recent experience and seen first hand the pay as you go system ...i.e no cash no service..no service your dead.
> ...


I had some medical emergencies (I live in the Philippines...Lol) and returned to the states but the care or answer's weren't much better stateside and very expensive I initially tried the VA (Veterans clinic) and then I tried a major US hospital, not much if any difference. I decided to return to the Philippines, my health has improved vastly by getting away from an easy living and quick access to chain restaurants and eating out in general, it's a very unhealthy way to live, same with those frozen foods, life was too easy stateside.

Fear of death is real but I refuse to keep living that way it's best to live and I wasn't living in the US because my wife and kids were here and now grand child and another grand child on the way. I've lost several friends stateside and it didn't matter if they had great health care or lived next to the finest Hospitals in the world. 

You will see and get involved in deaths here because it's more open, but in the US it was a real pick and hide Ambulance procedure and who really knows what happened to the neighbor, nobody talks but here in the Philippines it's different, I don't feel that people die here more then in the West it's just hidden from us in the West.


----------



## fmartin_gila (May 15, 2011)

M.C.A. said:


> You will see and get involved in deaths here because it's more open, I don't feel that people die here more then in the West it's just hidden from us in the West.


Not so much hidden, just that death is treated more privately involving family and close friends whereas here in the Phils it seems that the whole neighborhood gets involved because everybody seems to know what is going on with everybody else. Case in point: The man across the street died last week. I did see him once last year, didn't even know his name, but the my Asawa says we are obligated to go to the wake and funeral cause we are here. She can go if she wants to or somehow feels obligated to but I don't feel that. I think it's just the difference in our cultures.

Fred


----------



## M.C.A. (Feb 24, 2013)

*Remmeberance Death (Tent over the road)*



fmartin_gila said:


> Not so much hidden, just that death is treated more privately involving family and close friends whereas here in the Phils it seems that the whole neighborhood gets involved because everybody seems to know what is going on with everybody else. Case in point: The man across the street died last week. I did see him once last year, didn't even know his name, but the my Asawa says we are obligated to go to the wake and funeral cause we are here. She can go if she wants to or somehow feels obligated to but I don't feel that. I think it's just the difference in our cultures.
> 
> Fred


I would attend with my wife to these events (usually last 1 week) but now feel the need to avoid them like the plague because all it amounts to is a fund raiser or money drain, men taping my knee, shoulder or arm for money... money for cigarettes, karaoke machine, booze and food but one of the requirements is to give at least anywhere from 250 -500 pesos on up for attending and then later on the family will keep asking for more money.

We went to one event and paid the 250 pesos the family brought out a snack tray, really nice and then the neighborhood kids came up and took everything off, gosh it gets tiring dealing with no disipline and the constant clamor for our wallet. 

I got a little off track and can't delete the post now but I'll try to get back on track by saying we have also got help with sickness from the local witch doctor (forget the name) sort of a healthy approach with herbs and spices or the neighbors, most people here can't afford to visit the doctor but have experienced sickness and emergencies and are willing to help out, it is just another avenue but not the main one. 

My grandson was very ill when we met him for the first time and we took him to a Medical Doctor, gosh he prescribed about 2,000 pesos worth of medications, it turns out later that all my grandson needed was "Milk" because my daughters milk was not nutritious due to her poor diet and possibly other reasons.


----------



## Karog (Jan 29, 2016)

I understand MCA the U.S. System of medical care is not so great...I don’t know all the details of the Government process for medical care there but from all accounts it seems like a pay as you go system not un-simular to the Philippines, fortunately in Australia we have a great system that covers anyone regardless of status .This System covered my wife’s medical emergency from start to finish (we have private health cover and medicare cover …medicare covered it), needless to say we are very very lucky to have this government support.

I will persevere with looking for the best way to handle the medical side just so we have a plan in place if anything happens to either ourselves or the immediate family in an emergency situation.

From what I have seen it’s clearly a cultural thing that has them more openly express grief and respect to people.

It’s ok MCA..I am with you on the money thing...i m very quickly learning how to increase my reputation as the Kiripot foreigner to the point they won’t ask (as much)...problem is I keep being asked to be a Nino..Wedding car driver ect...I just tell them to ask my Asawa..And she’s a tight ass with money.

A subject for a further post “How to say Wala Peso with a smile”.


----------



## fmartin_gila (May 15, 2011)

Karog said:


> I will persevere with looking for the best way to handle the medical side just so we have a plan in place if anything happens to either ourselves or the immediate family in an emergency situation.
> 
> From what I have seen it’s clearly a cultural thing that has them more openly express grief and respect to people.
> 
> A subject for a further post “How to say Wala Peso with a smile”.


About the only way we as foreigners here can handle it is to keep a bit extra for emergencies.

"How to say Wala Peso with a smile" goes along with "The giver has to set the limit because the taker wont"

Fred


----------



## fmartin_gila (May 15, 2011)

Karog, good to hear your wife is now OK.

Some years ago while a Filipina(not my present wife) and I were living in Australia, she started having some eye problems. We had to pay for the initial exam in one of the vendors in Brisbane, but when it came to the actual eye repair work the govt took care of it.

Fred


----------



## JRB__NW (Apr 8, 2015)

Glad your wife is okay. In my opinion, life is very cheap here in the Philippines. Just in the past year... I know personally of two unnecessary deaths and a very close call. A woman who fell out of a tricycle as it made a quick move, and was run over - dead. 35 years old, with two kids. Another friend of a friend just recently died of food poisoning in Dumaguete. He fell ill and was dead within 24 hours. They were unable to get him the proper treatment. And someone with severe gut pain. The first hospital wouldn't run tests until the next morning, just gave them pain pills. The second, more expensive hospital immediately put him into surgery for a ruptured appendix. Fortunately he made it. There's some good doctors here, but also a lot of incompetence and apathy. It's very hit or miss.

I fully agree that we can live in more healthy ways here (also the opposite can happen) and reduce the chance for serious illness. But I also know that if I'm in an accident or have an emergency medical condition, I may well not make it due to the delay in getting to appropriate emergency medical care.

As far as taking risks - I feel the Filipino's constantly expose themselves to UNNECESSARY risks - the way they drive motorbikes, cross busy streets, maintain safety equipment, etc. Heck today on the ferry I had to tell several kids to stop roughhousing and running through the boat. They were endangering themselves and others, but of course the parents were nowhere to be seen.

There seems to be some sort of fatalistic attitude related to the Catholic faith that they embrace - that you die when "it's your time", lol. No sense of personal responsibility or forward thinking in terms of risk management or harm reduction.


----------



## fmartin_gila (May 15, 2011)

JRB__NW, Agree with you on your post, particularly the last two parts. Whatever happens seems to be "God's Will" in their way of thinking. I am always astounded by the way they will attend Mass where they are so encouraged to "be like Jesus" and as soon as the mass is over they will engage in most any activity that is just the opposite. Somehow the involvement of the Church makes all they do OK. Somehow I fail to understand how this all comes together for them.

Fred


----------



## Asian Spirit (Mar 1, 2010)

*Return To Topic*

Howdy All,

Lets move the thread back in the direction of the original post. That being medical emergencies and or treatment at local hospitals.

Thanks

Jet Lag


----------

