bargaining for your health

“Doc, magkano po ba yun operasyon? Ang mahal naman po! Pwede po ba discount? Baka pwede pa po bawasan? Pwede po ba kalahati muna? Doc, mag-iwan na lang muna ako promisory note.”

Filipinos are so fond of asking for discounts. In Divisoria, you’ll often hear bargaining for items…

Buyer: Magkano yun blouse?

Seller: 200 pesos. Tapat na.

Buyer: Bawasan mo naman, 120 na lang.

Seller: Di kaya sa puhunan. Lugi. Hanggang 170 lang.

Buyer: Bawasan mo pa konti. 140 na lang.

Seller: Hay naku, sige 150 na lang, Ilan ba kukunin mo?

Buyer: Ok 150! Paki balot yan isa.

In the medical field, you’ll also hear patients asking for “tawad” from doctor’s professional fees. I read an article a few years back written by an anesthesiologist. She and her partner surgeon did an operation on a patient for about 6 hours. It was a life-saving operation the patient couldn’t have lived without. When the patient was about to go home and was billed Php 60,000 PACKAGE price for the surgeon, anesthesiologist, cardiologist and endocrinologist, the patient said, “ang mahal naman doc. Baka pwede 30 thou na lang?” The surgeon, being a dutiful and charitable physician, said ok and agreed to the amount. However, the patient only paid half, 15 thousand, in cash, and the remaining 15 thousand as promisory note.

Why is it when doctors charge big, it is always taken against them? Do you know the cost of being a doctor nowadays? A medical student (i mean their parents) would have to shell out 160-180 thousand pesos PER YEAR for tuition fees alone. Medical books would set you back around 20-30 thousand PER YEAR. If the medical student would live in an apartment or dorm, that’s another 10 thousand per month. Before a medical student would have finished the 4 years in med school, he would’ve spent almost a whopping 1 million pesos. And at this point, the med grad isn’t even licensed yet.

So after 4 years of pre-med, and 4 years of med school, the new med grad has to under go 1 year of post-grad internship in a hospital WITHOUT ANY COMPENSATION. This is a requirement before the med grad can take the medical board exams given by the PRC. After internship, board exams follow, and if passed, one is considered a fully fledged GENERAL PRACTITIONER. If he wants to specialize, say, internal medicine, that’ll take another 3 years of training, then the “specialty” board exams. Then subspecialize into cardiology, that’s another 3 years of training, and another “sub-specialty” board exams. That’s a good 15 years (and 3 major board exams) from college to finally being a cardiologist. Then, now, he gets paid 20-50 pesos for every ECG tracing he reads.

So when a doctor charges a patient, say, 50 thousand pesos, for a life-saving medical intervention, it really isn’t “expensive.” But filipinos will always ask for “discounts,” not because they can’t afford, but it’s just filipino nature. So it will really drive the doctor crazy if the patient asks for 50% discount but the doctor sees the patient and his wife and children all with cellphones all worth more than 15 thousand. And this, the doctor charges for a LIFE SAVING PROCEDURE.

Why is it when a mid-ranged actor or model, doing just a 1-hour photoshoot, charges 100 thousand, it’s acceptable. But when a team of doctors operate on a patient for 6 hours and charges 60 thousand PACKAGE, it’s considered “inhumane” to put a hefty price on medical services. Do you know for every patient a doctor charges, the doctor also sees a patient he doesn’t charge? There may be more patients a doctor won’t charge in his/her entire career.

But as doctors, we do understand our patients plight. And we do give “discounts” and even free medical services. And as a christian i know God has blessed us a special position to help. But i posted this just to show that there is much more than just money a doctor gives when he gives a discount or totally free services. He gives a part of himself. So is it ok to bargain for your health? Yes, to a certain extent. Huwag lang sobrang “barat.” Or your doctors might end up looking like this…