Excitement at the Emergency Room

On Friday night, Kate and I walked over to the local hospital to visit my friend Jen- her little boy was sick and they were spending the night at St. Luke's, and we thought we would offer what little support we could.  We were on our way down in the elevator, and someone told us, "Don't go out- there's lots of polices." We had to "go out" since it was our way home, but it was CHAOS.  "Lots of polices" was quite an understatement- the place was swarming with policeman, security guards, TV cameramen, and reporters.  We didn't know what it was all about until Jen texted us the next morning.  The former president, Gloria Arroyo, who is now a congresswoman, had been arrested for election fraud, and due to some health problems was being held under "hospital arrest" at St. Luke's.  It was very exciting!

Here's a link.
http://ph.news.yahoo.com/photos/philippines-slideshow/view-st-lukes-hospital-taguig-metro-manila-photo-100636810.html

The next morning, Kate was complaining about an ear ache, so we went right back to the hospital.  We don't have a primary care physician here so the ER is the first stop for us.  This time, I noticed that the lobby of the hospital here is nicer than just about any hotel I've ever been in in the States.  Also, there was a musician playing live Christmas music on a piano. 

The ER regretfully informed us that our American insurance was no good there (not a surprise to us, and also not alarming since Bruce's company covers all of our medical expenses), but I assured them that I could pay them up front.  We were seen by a nice doctor who diagnosed Kate with swimmer's ear (also not a surprise to us), and were in and out in less than 45 minutes.  Total charge: 1051 pisos which is about $23.  We also had to pay for a prescription and a bottle of ibuprofen, which was another $6. 

So, yes, the whole deal cost less than my office visit co-pay at home.