Dumaguete Info Search


Health and Education costs in phils

Discussion in '☋ Expat Section ☋' started by PhilT, Feb 12, 2007.

  1. PhilT

    PhilT DI Member

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    This is something that rarely gets a mention but the 2 things are very important, if you have no children, then education is not what you think about BUT health costs are very very high, in the phils and getting higher, my sis in law has kydney disease and we give her money for long term medicine, but she tells me that even wealthy people are crying when they find out the cost of treatment.

    So who thinks of this or has first hand experience of paying alot of cash for any treatment, would be interesting to pool our thoughts here.

    Education even silliman is expensive but about on the same par as a good comprehensive in UK or high school in USA as for degrees there, they are not as good as western degrees, anyway you need a college education to work in Lee plaza! what a waste!
     
  2. wak-wak

    wak-wak DI Forum Adept

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    I am going through a situation with my girlfriend now. I saw a message from her when I woke up this morning. She took the day off from school to get something done at a hospital. She went to a few because each one would ask her if she had a budget. She would then ask how much. They wouldn't tell her. :eek: Then they would ask if she had a referral. She went to at least 2 or 3 hospitals.

    Expensive is one thing, but it is very frustrating if they won't even say how much. :mad:

    Why can't they just tell her a price instead of asking her budget? Makes me wonder if they are trying to price gouge her as if she is a foreigner. Maybe she doesn't dress like she has lots of money to pay for it.

    It is rough when I am not there to be with her through this.

    If things get bad then I have no issue spending the money to take her to here in Thailand. I will make a special trip to PI if needed:

    International Hospital - Bangkok, Thailand - Bumrungrad International

    I've heard foreigners in PI go there for good doctors.

    Personally I don't trust PI doctors/dentists to begin with. A couple years ago I knew someone that told me for the right amount of money I could get a license to practice medicine. :eek: That doesn't inspire confidence. I try to find someone that can refer me to a good doctor to alleviate this fear, but that is tough to find. Plus not being a doctor myself means I have no way of knowing. I suppose only another doctor really knows.
     
  3. AndyM60

    AndyM60 DI New Member

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    PhilT's comment about healthcare costs in the PI being very very high and getting higher was of great interest to me because i have a girlfriend in Dum. to whom I send money to help her to live more comfortably. This morning she texted me that she needs 60,000 pesos for her mother to have an appendectomy (35,000) and follow-up drugs (25,000). Is this a reasonable amount of money do you think, or is she trying a scam?
     
  4. OP
    OP
    PhilT

    PhilT DI Member

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  5. bikerdave

    bikerdave DI Senior Member

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    Have the mother go to provincial where there is only a donation or nominal fee for the operation. Thats where most of the locals go who arent being bankrolled by family and friends abroad. 60k does sound about right and even a bit cheap for one of the private hospitals btw
     
  6. pecoskid45

    pecoskid45 DI Member

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    Scam?

    Gee, I never heard this one before!
     
  7. AndyM60

    AndyM60 DI New Member

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    Thanx lads, you've set my mind at rest!
     
  8. KAYLEIGH

    KAYLEIGH DI Member

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    my fellow pinay

    Hi Andy,

    Please don't trust/believe any person right away. Especially you are out of her sight, and you don't know if she is really telling you the truth. I am from dumaguete & I'm proud to be a filipina but I don't like when some of my kababayan taking advantage of some foriengners. I just hope she is telling the truth. Good Luck to you & Whenever you come to Dumaguete, just make an observation and you know what I'm talking about. Peace. :smile:
     
  9. fundiver198

    fundiver198 DI Forum Adept

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    Even if we assume, that your girlfriend is telling you the truth, this is a difficult situation. The "system" in the Phillippines is, that nembers of a family help each other, and in particular children help their parents.

    The difficulty for the foreigner, who has married or is engaged to a filipino, is to set up some reasonable limits for, which degree of help the girls family can expect.

    The risk is, that everyone in the family will quickly get to view the foreigner as an endless supply of money, in which case all sorts of problems will suddenly end up at your table (vallet).

    So in a situation like this, you not only have to ask yourself, if your girlfriend is telling you the truth or not. You also have to ask yourself:

    a) How serious is your relationship?

    b) What would the family have done, if you had not been there?

    c) How will your actions set a standard for, how future problems in the family is to be resolved?

    If the mother has other sons or daugthers, who can help to pay for the operation, it might be an idea to tell your girlfriend, that you are happy to help, but unfortunatly you can only send her xxx tousind peso, so perhaps her sisters and brother can find the rest of the money?

    This is not so much to save money, but more to send a signal to her entire family - and her as well - that your finansial means are not endless, and that you are happy to help, but that you neither can nor will releave her sisters or brother of all their responsibility.

    When the operation is finished, it might also be a good idea to encourage the entire family to sign up for the public health insurance, which is available to all citizens in the Philippines for 100 peso pr. month. You might offer, that as your help to her parents, sisters and brother, you will be the one to pay for this.

    This insurance doesn`t cover bills as high as high one (60.000 peso), but it will cover smaller bills or at least provide a help, so it is better than nothing and well worth the 100 peso pr. month fee.
     
  10. garbonzo

    garbonzo DI Senior Member Veteran Marines

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    Good advice KAYLEIGH. We had a recent similar event in QC where urgent funds were needed for a cousin's operation. Only to find out later that the uncle had already borrowed the amount from other relatives on Negros - and used our payment to repay them. Of course, we'll likely never see a peso...we're further away....

    Another good reason to steer clear of Luzon....

    On another more optimistic note....I'm getting reports from sugar grower relatives that things are looking very ok lately.....great news for Negros......
     
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