“IS IT SAFE?”. Philippine Medical Vacations

by Fred C. Wilson III
July 2, 2010

Professional Seal © www.philippinemedics.com

“Body and soul cannot be separated for purposes of treatment, for they are one and indivisible. Sick minds must be healed as well as sick bodies.” -C. Jeff Miller-

An Operation © www.nursingphilippines.com

THE HIGH COST OF BEING SICK

“Medical tourism (also called medical travel, health tourism or global healthcare) is a term initially coined by travel agencies and the mass media to describe the rapidlygrowing practice of travelling across international borders to obtain health care. It also refers pejoratively to the practice of healthcare providers travelling internationally to deliver healthcare.” (Medical Tourism- Wikipedia)

When I was teaching with the Chicago Public Schools I would have at least one student per academic year who’d ask me what the secrets of having a comfortable life were. Barring having your tiny VW mashed by a semi with you in it or ending up a crime statistic face down in an alley I’d always answer: ‘don’t get sick and don’t go broke’. I don’t have adequate space to render a detailed analysis of my reply but if you reflect on what I’m saying you’ll get my message. My previous article focused on avoiding or recovering from financial ruin; ‘don’t go broke.’ This week we’ll examine the ‘don’t get sick’ aspect of my twin formula for a vibrant, healthy, happy, and hassle-free life.

Being sick in America will cost you plenty. To give tips to ward off the ‘Boogie Men’ of expensive monthly health care premiums, pricy medicines, and the myriad of other expenses not covered by health care providers is the purpose of this article. The high cost of medical care has sent thousands of Americans to the ‘Poor House’ (bankruptcy, heavy debt, working two or more jobs, both spouses working, etc.). Chicago’s Stroger Hospital aka County Hospital ceased being a ‘free’ public health care provider three years ago as I recall. Stroger’s wait time and cost of their once free medical services is more costly than many ‘private’ medical care facilities. The wait time is longer than ‘private’ health care providers. But you’re sick. It hurts! To high cost of staying healthy is draining your paycheck as dry as a river bed in the middle of an Arizona desert on a hot August day. So where do you go for affordable medical treatment if you just don’t have the funds like you used to? Reader, you do what a growing number of Fil-Ams and others are doing to stay/get healthy or avoid financial ruin; you go back home for medical treatment.

Nurses Convention © www.us.asiancorrespondent.com

Philippine medics at work © www.atayala.com

“You’re okay.” © www.ndb-online.com

THE PHILIPPINE SOLUTION

My wife and I are in our mid-60’s. ‘Back in the day’ (the past), our lives revolved around jobs, education, entertainment, vacations, and a subject of a more intimate nature. Now that we’re seniors its doctors, these damn aches and pains, ran out of those pills again, will we be buried or burned (cremated), and is our health care enough? Thinking ahead and planning for times such as these, fourteen years ago we decided to go back home for our annual health exams. When we were there we’d get our eye exams, x-rays, dental work, blood tests, other tests and procedures that if done in the United States would have cost us so much.

There’s a lot of negative thinking among Americans about the quality of Philippine medical care. All too many Americans assume that if it’s ‘made in the Philippines’ its’ of inferior quality. From our experiences with working with Philippine health care professionals nothing could be further from the truth. Philippine professionals are among the worlds’ finest in every sense of the word. Here in Chicago our primary health care provider/ dentist are Fil-Ams. Our extended family and I all practice what we preach.

THE DOCTOR’S IN THE HOUSE!

Reader if you or somebody you know has a medical condition that isn’t partially/ fully covered by their health insurance provider or just want high quality medical/dental care that’s well within their budget, here’s a short list of doctors/ medical facilities who would welcome your business:

• Dr. Stephanie Marie Cabatingan D.M.D. can be contacted via her email address at: tania928@yahoo.com. Her phone number is: (032) 231- 7717. Her office is in the Crown Building (Reclamation Area), Road North 6th in Room 203. That’s a ½ block from the S & M Mall behind the Sun Gold Furniture Company.
• Drs. Enrique & Arnette Fernando, DDM Fernando Dental Clinic Level 3, JY Square Mall 1 Salinas Drive cor. Gorordo Ave. Lahug, Cebu City, Philippines 6000.
• Embassy of the United States has a list of Manila and provincial hospitals and doctors: http://manila.usembassy.gov/wwwhlmed.html.
• A list of Manila doctors and hospitals: http://manila.usembassy.gov/wwwhedoc.html.
• Asian Hospital, Alabang (Manila) http://www.asianhospital.com/index.php.
• St. Luke’s Medical Center (Manila) http://www.stluke.com.ph.
• Chong Hua Hospital (Cebu City) http://www.chonghua.com.ph/homepage.html.
• The Medical City http://www.themedicalcity.com/…
• For the site that has it all search: Recommended Philippine Doctors and… (www.goiloilo.com). This site has a complete listing of reliable doctors, dentists, and quality hospitals foreign visitors frequent when visiting the Philippines.
• Dr. Philip S. Chua Email address is: Philip@chua.net. Dr. Chua’s president of the Philippine Heart Cebu. If you need anything cardio related he’s the man to see. Dr. Chua was trained under world-famous heart transplant surgeon Dr. Denton A. Cooley of the Texas Heart Institute in Houston, Texas.
• Medical Tourism in the Philippines is a must see search engine for foreigners in search of top quality and affordable medical care. This vital website has a complete up to date listing of: prices for various medical services, procedures offered, in air travel times for flights to Philippine medical facilities, a listing of vital statistics for prospective medical tourists to peruse entry and exit government requirements for air travelers. Go to: www.health-tourism.com/philppinesmedical- tourism.
• For another listing of selected doctors, dentists, and other medical personnel and facilities go to: Living in the Philippines
  www.liveinthephilippines.info. This is a more personal website for medical vacationers who want to do a more personal investigation of potential medical providers and their services offered.
• Voted the top two hospitals in Philippine Republic by the JCI are St. Luke’s Hospital and The Medical City. Both are in Manila and come highly recommended by the Joint Commission International (JCI). Their website is at: www.jointcommissioninternational.org. The JCI’s web services consist of a global listing of medical facilities and services rendered in addition to those offered in the Philippine Republic.

That’s all Reader for this week’s Mega Scene’s Philippines Adventures. Again remember the weather’s hot and so are a lot of the drivers so WATCH OUT! Till next week all my best and GOD.
(vamaxwell@yahoo.com)