⌛ Oxygen

Hello,
As we consider moving to the cleaner air of Dumaguete from Metro Manila, we have to think of my husband's medical needs. He is on oxygen for his COPD. Is anyone here familiar with the availability of medical oxygen there in Dumaguete? Also, I assume there is a Mercury or Watson's Drugstore there? Has anyone had to use the hospital services and do you know if there are any good pulmonologists there? Hopefully when we come to visit next month we can check a lot of this out ourselves, but if any of you know the answers to any of these questions, it might save us some time. Thanks!!
Marie

 

If you rely on medical help, my advice, simply skip your Dumaguete-Idea without any further thought or question ... everything is available ... sometimes ...

 

I have to site with Rhoody on this one. If your husband has a serious medical condition, Dumaguete might be to small a town to stay in. And also the air is really not that clean in the central part of Dumaguete, due to a large amount of tricycles belging around with their 2-stroke engines and each polluting as much as 20 or 50 modern cars.

A large amount of small motorcycles and badly maintained diesel powered trucks and SUV´s add in to the mix to create a quite heavy air pollution in downtown Dumaguete, if I am honest. Conversely, since many cars in Manila already use catalytic converters or run on LPG (taxis), it might actually be argued, that the air is cleaner there.

Still, if you find Manila to big and overwhelming, maybe check out Cebu as a suitable ”in between” alternative. Nearly everything is available in Cebu, but the city is still a lot smaller and more charming than Manila. Trafic is heavy in Cebu though, and if clean air is desired, you will need to find a place in the outskirts of town.

 

A would triple that motion. Aside from the polluted air, possible lack of medical supplies and medical professionals, you would also have to contend with the incessant brown-outs. Dumaguete is not a good place for anyone with significant medical needs.

 

You can perhaps try the outskirts of the city. There are a lot of nice and beautiful towns hardly touched by civilization, if you're really looking for clean surroundings with natural air everywhere. We have a lot of those in the neighboring towns. But when it comes hospitals, I think SUMC is now trying to upgrade its medical facilities and it has handled cases similar to your husband's. Cebu is pretty much like Manila.

 

Staying in the outskirts of Dumaguete or in one of the surrounding towns like Valencia, Bacong or Dauin would solve the problem with air pollution, obviously. Except when you need to go into town to buy something.

If oxygen is not available in Dumaguete, you could make regular trips to Cebu, which is just 4 hours away with either bus or boat, and buy it there. There are also direct fligths between the 2 citys 3 times pr. week with Cebu Pacific.

The biggest concern would be the lack of really good hospitals in Dumaguete. We have 2 private hospitals, which are pretty ok, but they are not up the level found in Manila or Cebu.

 

Thanks for the info, Fundiver. Our plan is to move to an area like Valencia. If there are hospitals around, there has to be places that supply them their oxygen, just like here. I am sure we can get my husband's oxygen needs taken care of. He is not on machines to survive, as some here almost suggest, nor does he need a lot of medical supplies, per se. He just needs oxygen from time to time, which requires no electricity or anything. He hasn't been hospitalized in several years, so his condition isn't as serious as some might think. Yes, he is sick, and Yes his condition does require visits to the doctor from time to time (who doesn't?), but is he serious? Not really. We just need to get him to a cleaner area so that he can breathe better. Me too, for that matter, seems here in Metro Manila, my lungs are always on fire. I am not used to the smog, either. Anyway, thanks again Fundiver!!

 

Reedee, then I think that Valencia is a very good location to stay, provided that you don't have to go too often to the "City of Gentle tricycles" as I call Dgte often :D
But even with all these motorbikes and tricycles Dgte is still far less poluted than Manila.
Good luck with your move over to here.
And.......keep it going as long as possible

 

Sorry, I was under them impression his condition was worse than what you describe...

"City of Gentle Tricycles"...that's good! But, I think my favorite is still, "City of Generator People"!