Health & Wellness Giving birth in a 3rd world hospital

It would feel the same insulting way that it does every day here, for this is a low trust society. Businesses do not trust each other, large businesses do not trust their employees and department stores don't even trust their customers. Why on earth do you think there are more "security" guards here than PNP ? It's to protect the business, not the customer.

You cannot shop in one place and take the carrier bags in to another - you have to check the bag at security, the assumption being that you are automatically a shoplifter and thief and will steal items and put them in the bag that you brought in. There is no guarantee of course that your own bags, once checked in, will not be rifled through and therefore you may not get everything back that you deposited. Low trust society? Yes.

I find it insulting that the till receipt is stapled to the carrier bag, and a security guard then puts a mark on it when you exit the store. At the point of sale, once I have paid the money, the goods carrier bag and till receipt become my property and is nothing to do with any guard. But is the fact that it happens symptomatic of a low trust society ? Definitely.

There is a paranoia amongst the large businesses that they do not even trust their staff. I suggest you stand at the entrance, upstairs or downstairs, of Robinsons department store and watch any of the staff leave. There you will see the dedgrading spectacle of security guards physically giving the employees a rub-down to ensure that they are not leaving with anything. This grossly insulting activity is done in full view of everyone and anyone. Low trust society ? Absolutely.

It's already been highlighted in this thread of the money issue at hospitals. We saw and experienced at Silliman that the priority was not to save life, but to assess whether the funds were there to pay for it. Don't transfuse the patient, make sure that they can pay for the blood first.

So everyone here is made to feel untrustworthy on a daily basis. I, as a customer, frequently voice my opinion on this and often deliberately walk past the guard and shield my receipt, but the employees have no choice but to meekly accept the situation to safeguard their meagre salary, and it's all based on "God bless our way".

 

I would say that the cases were very similar as of the early 60s, including Americans support, but very different directions were taken 1965~85 due to extremely different leaderships, showing how important proper character of political leadership often is. Both then had democracy revolutions, SK just a year later. Philippines had an initially revolutionary government that had an excellent, twice-in-a-century opportunity for radical reform in a positive direction, but tragically missed it because the president was so weak and bound-up in her class -- much like how Mr. Obama punted away America's rare chance for real change in 2009.

SK continued to build on the momentum that had been established, and continued to be blessed with reasonably competent leadership despite the continuous threat from the North and the feckless-ness of the National Assembly. Philippines had one really good president who almost got things on-track but ran out of time (Eddie Ramos) but then an unfortunate return to corrupt and incompetent Presidents and Senators. Now, they have somebody at the top who shows promise to finally get things together -- but the decades of mismanagement (especially the demographics going out of control, thanks to the Catholic Church, whereas Korea successfully slowed down its births and has even gone too far in that) leave a huge overhang that is much harder to advance now, even if he is successful in reducing corruption.

I have more hope and confidence than that -- no not "the top" but quite a good chance to get to the East Asian middle-class on perhaps a Malaysian level -- as Thailand sinks from what it had seemed to achieve, i think that Philippines could easily surpass the next decade if they can just get corruption, births, basic education and basic medical care under control...

 

I did not say or mean that, and it is false -- there is far more humanitarian charity happening all over the world right now than ever before in human history. I think that some small example of this has been witnessed right here on this forum in the past three weeks... (in the politics of the Western nations, communitarian solutions to social problems utilizing national budget funds have indeed gone out of vogue, perhaps temporarily, but that is a different issue).

But, problem is, here in the Philippines and other similar places around the world, the dire need far outstrips the charity available, even as it keeps growing. Private and religious efforts can never be enough in a situation like this, and we cannot expect doctors and nurses to work for free. The government here really needs to increase its support for medical care for those who cannot afford it, and reduce corruption that might divert such funding. Until such a day that, let's say, more than 90% of the population can afford basic medical care and the other basics of their life... We are still far from that, unfortunately -- but let's keep working towards it!

 

speaking of a no-trust society:

Was out today and i just thought of another thing that drives me nuts....Newer store downtown has 6 cash registers. One of which was open and staffed by a cashier and one person to bag the items as they are rang up. 19 people in line for the one single open register. (The cashier of course is capable of putting the items in the bag but owners/management put two people at a register so one checks the receipt of what was rung up. Is there no trust for the employees hired?)

Stock clerks all over but of course, not a single one is cross-trained to go and open a cash register. Are they not trusted with cash? Do they think people can't be trained to do 2 things?

 

anyone able to figure out why Robinsons put so many doors across the front and then lock them all leaving only one single door to exit/enter past the guard? Why install the doors in the first place?

Can you imagine in a emergency situation of evacuation when panic sets in?? None of the doors are what's considered "break-away" doors for safety.

 

I agree with everything said......being a Filipina with 12 years experience from Holland and UK. I am ashamed being a Filipina, when I see how badly treated we are in our own country, by our own people...incl.Chinese Business men (the worst). I do not forsee anything good for the people in my country. What is needed is a real nationwide revolution, so we can take down the 2-5 % of the people making us living below powerty and take our hopes about a better future away. If the people stop working for a week or three the company owners will feel the importance of their employees. Nobody should work for anything less than 2500 pesos per week minimum. Wake up and do the right thing for your own future. Philippines is our country and belong to the Filipino people and no one else. In addition start trusting your own people, and do not believe that most filipinos are as bad as the company owners...... it is because of them that there is no trust in our societey. STOP the bleading....and share your wealth with your fellow citizens.

 

===> I love this! VERY TRUE!!!!!

Some would even MARRY foreigners just to survive in this poor country

 

Hmmm....I kind of agree with Torilian. I've long been an advocate of revolution in the Philippines. The status quo of electing serial thieves who provide a national web of corruption - needs to be stopped. The only sensible way is for the military to do it. The issue with the military is that the older, high-ranked officers, are in on the corruption game (I personally knew a nauseating example in the Air Force years ago who bragged to me about the many ghost salaries he was collecting)....However, the younger officers have always impressed me with their dignity and patriotism - and that is where the revolution needs to start. I suggest the Philippine Marines need to organize themselves and get it happening. They are the only force with the fortitude, determination, and respect to get it started - and oversee its conclusion to a reborn democracy - after cleaning out the system. Anyway, it may or may not happen - but it surely is the only chance for this country to advance and save its people from starvation and despair. Otherwise, they'll be migrating to Bangladesh for jobs....

 

Interesting how to get from giving birth to a revolution...

I might (like always) step on some toes, but a revolution would not work at all as long the attitude of the population does not change.
There is imho no Philippines, it is a collection of Islands, where the population is everything else than united. How should that work if they do not even understand each others language.
My GF gets almost daily offended as she is not from Dumaguete (why you don't speak proper Visayan you are here now), Bullshxx she speaks both official languages (plus some others) better than 95% of the people here.

30 peso load are more important than 1 kg rice and some food on the plate.

Storms with thousands of people dead and homeless, 99% moan for 2 minutes, send their prayer, and run to the next christmas-party to fill their stomach, maybe donate a few shirts the next day, but the rest is business as usual.

The working attitude is horrible and I was managing departments where employees earn way more than 2.5 k a week for relatively simple jobs. And that is exactly the problem (we can see it many times on DI too) people want a job to get the money, but they don't want to do the work proper. One of the reasons why I changed my work to online stuff as i just can't handle that bad working attitude and rather do my own thing.

All that stupid excuses why things are not working instead of putting some effort in it that things do work. All that blaming of everybody else but not oneself.

All that false pride on something which is simply not there. BTW, one can only be proud on a own achievement or the achievement of a group where she/he is part of... think about... How can somebody be proud being part of educational facilities which in over 100 years don't get it done to teach at least 1 international recognized and accredited course. I would be ashamed and not proud...

We all can discuss about what must be done by the government and other organizations, but it would lead to absolutely nothing. Isn't it a fact that since the last "revolution" where people got power this country got overtaken by each other in SEAsia ?

As long that does not happen there ain't be any change and a revolution in whatever form would result in nothing else than a total chaos, worse than it is now.

It has to start in each individuals own mind, with opening the eyes for the reality, with being honest to oneself even it might hurt a bit. This whole discussion is about what "others" should do and the "others" say exactly the same. In 9 years here I did not meet many who said: Maybe I should change also....

Those who did AND where consistently (meaning longer than a few weeks) working for their goal were mainly pretty successful in it.