Philippine Scene # 13 - The Philippine General Hospital
Another day at the public hospital
I entered the Philippine General Hospital (PGH) in order to get a blue card (P7.00 pesos only) for my skin checkup at the Out-Patient Department.
It was required by SuperCare Medical Services, Inc. (the recommended outpatient medical servces of the shipping company where I work) for the approval of my medical examination.
I have to get an assessment at the Dermatology Department headed by Dr. Francisca Roa, through one of its resident dermatologists. Dr. Giselle Marie S. Tioleco.
My case included skin culprits, like Molluscum contagiosum on my face and onychomycosis on my nails.
Dr. Tioleco and her senior resident assessed that I don't have a contagious lesions on my face (whatsoever). My only problem is my Candida Onichomycosis which opted me to undergo a specimen examination at the laboratory.
The result was to cure my nail problem and treat me with proper medication. I still had to undergo medication on board for the next three months.
Scenes inside the PGH
Click thumbnail to view full-size
Since its creation in 1907, the Philippine General Hospital becomes thePhilippines' 105-year old national tertiary referral center and teaching hospital of UP Manila (The Health Sciences Center) that includes the UP College of Medicine, UP College of Nursing, UP College of Dentistry and allied colleges. It is the largest government hospital administered by the UP System (as of this writing).
The PGH covers a lot of medical services. Its different departments include: Anesthesiology, Cancer Institute, Emergency Medicine, Family and Community Medicine, Hospital Dentistry, Laboratories, Medicine, Neurosciences, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Opthalmology and Visual Sciences, Orthopedics, Otorinolarynology, Pediatrics, Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine, Radiology, Rehabilitation Medicine and Surgery.
The PGH that I know
Incidentals:
This is just a day-today scenario at the Philippine General Hospital which cater to the Filipino masses; people who can't affor the services of private medical institutions.
PGH is memorable to me because for a month back in 1998, my father was admitted at the ICU of Communicable Diseases (CD) Ward where he died from lung cancer or Tuberculosis III leading to carcinoma (due to excessive cigarette smoking).
Like other government edifices, this medical institution is also subjected to privatization, since healthcare providers are demanding for a first-rate services that the public is also clamoring.
The plan was answered by massive protest, along with medical employees and hospital workers.
Until now, the move to privatize was met with cold shoulders by the management.
The scenario that occur each day inside the promises of the PGH differ significantly when you're in a private hospital.
PGH is running out of medical staff since most of the board passers are trying their luck or landed high-paying medical jobs abroad.
With the massive brain drain going on, a public hospital like PGH will always suffer.
(With personal opinion and writings from travel_man1971 aka Ireno A. Alcala, July 20, 2012)
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Comments 7 comments
I'm glad you featured PGH on your Philippine Scene series. Our experiences @ PGH will speak for itself how medical people treat those patients who earn meager income and cannot afford health care providers to pay for them.
Oh, by the way, the Philippine government also spearheaded and gave PhilHealth cards to heads of families belonging to the marginal line of living.
The only setback is that they don't pay their one-time contribution each year because most of they cannot afford to do it.
I hope my observation will be different next year regarding public hospitals.
Hi, sir! I hope it's okay if I use some of your pictures for our presentation on PGH. They didn't allow us to take photos during our field observation, so I hope you don't mind. Thank you! :)
earthbound1974:The usual notion of many people regarding public hospitals is it's not updated when it comes to modern equipment.
I don't agree with the notion that public hospitals are laid back. Our government is doing some augmentation in order to serve families having meager income meet the needs of their patients.
PhilHealth cards given to heads of the families under poverty line is the one thing.
The privatization of PGH is still in the offing but ordinary families don't want it to happen.
@Joyce: Thank you for asking me the approval first before using my photos.
Actually, I just clicked my camera without flash while waiting for my name to be called.
And I decided to make an article or hub based from my one-day visit at the PGH.
Yes, you can use it, since it will be on the public domain now. Just tell your colleagues to comment and suggest positive outlook regarding this public medical institution.
It is nice to have a hub showing some scenes in the Philippines. This will give allot of information about the services catered in this type of industry
@Pinterestblog: Thanks for recognizing the importance of this hub series,especially about public hospitals. This issue should be regularly addressed to the present administration in order to maintain the check-and-balance principle in the said institution
Hope you can pin it on your Pinterest account,too.
Gud pm. po PGH Hosptl Dermatology check estimate ko lan po kng free cure sa pag remove ng warts ng isa small pcs. sa upper leftside ng underarm pa lser po ba ang use sa pag remove ni2 me charge po ba e2 pwede nyo e-text sa 09234867383 o sa e-mail ,fbk pra answer nyo po.
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