I am angry at Sara Duterte for spending PhP 125m in 11 days, which Congres could not trace where it was spent. She keeps justifying the billions upon billions of “confidential funds” that cannot accounted for by the Commission on Audit.
Here we are, the Philippine General Hospital—the national university/research hospital—is often running out of reagents and similar items critical for running tests. I just had the good luck that we were able to have the TB PCR before they ran out of reagents. It was sad seeing the other patients being turned away because of this situation. One relative of a patient asked where they could do the tests. The hospital named were the expensive private hospitals—and her eyes showed the pain upon hearing St. Luke’s and Medical City.
I want to shout, “you deserve the people you voted for!”
But I couldn’t at that moment. I was just too exhausted then.
I want to scream at the Filipino people, to tell them, “You know we are being robbed in broad daylight but you refuse to acknowledge this stupidity.” I want to lash out at them.
The fight in me went on a holiday. I wanted to get angry but I couldn’t find the energy to fuel the anger.
In contrast, there is not a spec of peeling paint or blemish on the walls of St Luke’s Global City. I don’t think they would run out of basic reagents like those for TB PCR. But of course, only a small percentage of Filipinos can afford this hospital.
Since the results of the GeneXpert, TB PCR and AFB were negative for MTB, our doctors (hema-onco and IDS) decided to keep my daughter on the onco watchlist. But the CT scan, histopath, and clinical evidence show that it’s really TB. They also think that the 10 days of HRZE (anti-TB) meds given to her by our first hospital could already have done damage to the MTB that’s why it was negative in these TB tests. The decision is to continue with the current therapy and just go back to our hemo-onco next month after we had done the MRI to see if there is still thickening of the colon walls. If that’s the case, then a colonoscopy is needed to do another biopsy.
What stumps them is the high uric acid (including the high TSH); it could be genetic or diet, our hema-onco said. In any case, she recommended that we see an endocrinologist.
After St. Luke’s, Twin A and I went Greenbelt and wait for my sister-in-law and Twin I. They were gallivanting somewhere in BGC while we were in the hospital but SIL needed to do something in Glorietta.
Looking at the prices of the items here, like in PowerMac Center or a bag in Balenciaga, I can’t help thinking to myself, ooh, that’s the price of an MRI with anesthesia…that one is equivalent to a one-week hospital stay…I now equate everything to the cost of healthcare. 😓
To make myself happy, we are ending the day with shabu-shabu.
