31 May 2010
Posted in
BoholLife Blog -
Bohol Healthcare
Health care available in Tagbilaran, Bohol is of a reasonable standard. However you may find yourself being referred to a hospital in Cebu for more complicated medical problems. Ramiro is the main hospital in Tagbilaran City, offering a wide range of consultants with their own surgeries / clinics.
The hospital facilities are a little limited and a trip to the public CR would make you question whether Ramiro was a private or public operation. That said, I have found the Doctors and Nurses helpful and polite. While not up to the standards of a typical European hospital with regards to facilities, they do have modern diagnostic equipment. Ramiro is my first stop when I have any medical complaints.
Don't be surprised if you end up waiting a long time to see your doctor or consultant. There are just so many patients here and not enough doctors. It is not uncommon the have wait an hour or two after the scheduled time, before you get to see the doctor.
The other main hospitals in town include the Borja, Community Hospital and St Jude. I have no personal experience of these but am sure the level of service and facilities is similar to Ramiro and for sure some of the Doctors will have clinics in more than one of them.
Obviously one has to pay for any medical treatment here and medical bills can run up very quickly. I have no medical insurance and live on an extremely tight budget, was it not for my father in the UK bailing me out a few times I don’t know how I would have coped. If you decide to live in Bohol / Philippines keep this in mind and always have a reserve fund available.
Most medications are available at the major pharmacies (Rose & Mercury Drug Store) and there is a a wealth of smaller independent pharmacies to choose from. For most of the popular medications you could try the Generics Pharmacy, they only offer generic brands so prices are typically a little lower.
One big advantage the Philippines has over most other countries in Asia is that the Doctors & Nurses speak English. Trying to explain your ailment is not always straight forward, but try doing the same in a hospital where English is not normally spoken.
My advice is to always have enough money available to pay you admission deposit or carry a credit card with you at all times. There are various health care plans here that you can subscribe to. Just remember the treatment is not free but on the whole it is not that expensive when compared to the private hospitals and Doctors in the UK.
