If you have no money, Die first before you’ll be treated well?

Unfortunately, the accident happened when my Korean Friends visited the Philippines and stayed in my home. But I don’t regret every single moment of the period when I was temporarily disabled. I’ve learned so much…

Despite suffering from the limitation of physical movements and emotional trauma, it was so frustrating that I had experienced the unforgettable worst-ever hospitalization I had in my own country. 

i. The SUPER SLOW action of the PGH, Philippine General Hospital.

I was rushed to this Hospital because it's so near to my home. I didn't expect that no one would be attending me for my first aid treatment for my broken ankle. I have stayed in this hospital and waited at the reception area for 16 hours but still have not received the treatment I have waited.

Here’s how it went so badly on 5th Aug. 2015;

13:00: Registered

14:30: General check-up: Blood pressure, etc…

15:00 Went to the Record Section to check the schedule

16:00 Check-up by Orthodologist

18:00 X-ray

19:00 I Asked to take the X-ray result (but it is still not available, and was advised to retake it at 20:30, but not available again, then advised again to come back at 21:30)

21:30 X-ray result taken

03:00 Received prescription medicine (only this time that I have taken a medicine)

04:00 Scheduled to have the 1st Aide Treatment (or they call it Surgery???). However, the
       the receptionist told us the Doctor had already gone home and I had to wait until 20:00 for me to be treated.

With the pain of my broken ankle, I pitied myself and regretted why I believed the receptionist and the Doctor of this PGH in the first place. Why have I waited that too long and wasted my time before I realized that there are other hospitals around me…

So, I decided to move to Makati Medical Center (MMC); thereby, from my arrival to the completion of the treatment, nurses and doctors assisted me well. I arrived at MMC at around 6:00 on August 6th, 2015, and within two hours, everything was completed: check-ups, x-rays, and 1st Aide Treatment (cemented my Ankle for temporary treatment).

The plan to Baler Beach was pushed through just after my temporary treatment. It’s another story that I am so excited to tell you later.

I am so sad that those who patiently waited with me at PGH hospital have not been treated before I left. Apparently, they are poorer than I am, so they’ve to wait because they have no choice. They have believed every single word of promise from the receptionist/doctor. This is not what I expect in PGH, even it's a public hospital I have high regards to this hospital. However, to what had happened, I believe that in a hospital like this (PGH), or should I say with staff or doctors who do not give importance to their patients, you need to have a solid resistance to pain and lengthy shoe-chord to wait patiently. You even need a second life because I am afraid that before someone would attend you, you’ll gonna die first.

I am so ashamed that this kind of hospital was witnessed by foreign visitors who assisted me of the entire process. We were saddened by those patiently waiting to be treated - poor kids and adults.

I hope that someday PGH will improve its approach to dealing with patients’ emergencies or normal sicknesses with passion and love. 

ii. The DELAYED SCHEDULE / LINE-UP for Surgical Operation at Philippine Orthopedic Center (POC).

It’s the day when I need to go for an actual surgical operation for my broken ankle. My relatives recommended me to the Philippine Orthopedic Center (POC) because they specialize in surgical operations for bone fractures, etc. Well, it was better than PGH; I was being attended to faster than the “super slow PGH.” however, the problem I got here was the difficulty in scheduling the availability of an Orthopedic Doctor who would be doing the surgical operation on my left ankle is too difficult. They want me to check the availability by next week again.

So, I didn’t wait anymore for that “next week” by POC, I just took the result of my X-rays by POC and MMC then brought it at East Avenue Medical Center (EAMC). I was scheduled immediately for the surgical operation, and after 2 days, I was released from the hospital.

Hereunder is the diagnosis released when I was discharged from EAMC;

• Fracture, closed, complete, oblique, displaced, lateral malleolus, left
• Fracture, closed, complete, transverse, displaced, medial malleolus, left
• S/P Open reduction, Internal Fixation using plates and screws, lateral malleolus, lef; syndesmotic screw fixation, left ankle; screw fixation medial malleolus, left (August 14, 2015)

I am thankful to God that it’s only at this time, after my babyhood ‘till these years, when I’ve been to the hospital. Guys, let's have a healthy lifestyle and save money not for sickness but for our future and emergencies. We can’t deny that if you have money, you’ll be treated well or select a hospital that treats you well. I am sorry, from my experience, that it’s a fact that in a public hospital, you’ll not get close attention and care similar to that in a private hospital. 

Thanks to MMC and EAMC.