(Philippines please)...What's it like inside a public hospital?

Question

Guys I am a filipino college student whos going to make a thesis about public hospital maintenance.

I would be needing your opinion about this topic.

Please feel free to give me your FULL DESCRIPTIVE COMMENTS :)

Answer 1

public  hospital  in  the  Phil.,if  you  don't  have  money  then  you have  to  wait  for  service,it's like pay  first , fix later  ,you  can  be  bleeding  to  death  and  they  will  ask  you  how  you  intend  to  pay  for  this........................

Answer 2

Sad to say... Im scared to even imagine it.

Answer 3

the 2nd  one who answer this..i think it only happens to private hospitall.that they will aks u 1st if u can pay..and if they will transfer u to the public hospital..

ok public is ver different from private..coz private is more clean than the public hospital..also..its more crowded especially in the ward area..*sigh*

Answer 4

there are some decent public hospitals in the philippines, but don't expect it to be as clean as private hospitals (like Ospital ng Angeles in Angeles City), some public hospitals even admits patents and let them stay at corridors, some of those patients have airborne diseases so...safety first.

Answer 5

only one I'd been to is PGH.  not as patient but to visit a sick friend years ago.  it's clean but not very modern (as the private hospitals in Makati) but they say PGH doctors are the best.

Answer 6

it's like you are in a wet market.

Answer 7

Have to bring your own bed.

Answer 8

I've only been to 3 public hospitals and all those times I was only a visitor, not a patient. So I can only give my observations/comments on the surroundings, the rooms or wards and such.

I was able to go to one fairly new public hospital and being new, the whole place was still neat and clean looking and smelling. The aircons were in good working order, though later on with the number of people going in and out of the place, the units had a hard time keeping the place cool enough. The staff were efficient and friendly enough but not enough to keep up with the number of people needing/wanting help.

The other two public hospitals I went to were not new, one of them seemed to have been renovated though. Anyway, the grounds were well kept enough. No fancy landscaping but neat and clean. The hallways were not that clean though, and the rooms were not that well lit. I actually went to one of the wards to visit someone, and there were about 6 patients in one ward room. The room gave the patients and the medical equipment they needed enough room, but the presence of their relatives or whoever it was staying with them to take care of them made the place feel quite cramped. I suppose the beddings and other bed linens in use were clean but they were definitely old looking. Overall, it felt and looked like a depressing place to be in to recover from an illness.

Answer 9

A family member was hospitalized for 2 months recently and because we're not filthy rich and the docs say it's ok to stay in this goverment hospital anyway, we did.

I will not paint public(government) hospitals as negative as what commonly it is perceived to be. I noticed people talk of FACILITIES and ACCOMMODATIONS more. Well, yes, but not always. Some private hospitals could be worse---in terms of rates (room, doctors, facilities, medicines and pay-before-check out policy. And this we see in the news: owners of private hospitals having problems with the law, being exposed by the media for making life difficult for the poor, etc.). Come to think of it, I will choose a  government hospital anytime vs. a private hospital when it came to these pay-before-check out policy and rates.

Some businessmen friends once commented how lucrative it is to start a private hospital, because everybody gets sick/hospitalized sooner or later and well, you can command payment.

Taken-for-granted plus factors of public hospitals:

1. The huge subsidy given by the local government (for residents of the city/municipality) plus your PHilhealth Plus if senior citizen discount, means greater savings.

2. Doctors are the same. They do not become "lesser doctors" just because they are in a supposedly "poverty zone." They give the same quality observation, analysis and prescription (they should, it's what they swore to in their Hippocratic oath!).I personally know doctors who have clinics in "5-star" private hospitals for their M-W-F schedule yet too have a T-Th-S for a public hospital. Maybe it's also about local professional tax relief of some sort? Or maybe a genuine desire to help others as oathed and not just those who can afford a hospital with a lobby like the Manila Peninsula Hotel?

3. Doctors charge almost half if not free in public/government hospitals.

4. The basics are there so it should not be a problem. As needed transfers later on or tests (xray, MRI, other special facilities absent in a public hospital) can be accomodated anyway---but of course with the added hassel of transport and waiting.

In your thesis, "maintenance" should also be looked at in terms of "keeping the good doctors, nurses, lab technicians" and not just the facilities. More incentives should be given to the manpower behind the hospital.Thus, the distinction between "can afford hospital" can hospital of the "destitute" will be minimized as it should.

I salute the cities and municipalities that endeavor to improve the lives of the public by making healthcare (via their hospitals) a priority:

Ospital ng Makati and Ospital ng Muntinlupa are top on my list. Surely there are a lot more in our country.

Wow. does this deserve a best answer or what? hahaha. Good luck on your thesis.