New Hospital about to give Makati Med a Run for Its Money…

The big news in our neighborhood this week was the opening of St. Luke’s Global City, a new hospital in Fort Bonafacio.  With 600 rooms and 400 doctors’ clinics, it’s sure to give the current front-runner Makati Medical Center some good competition.  Not that too many hospitals is ever a bad thing, I just wonder which one we’ll be referred to now.  As previously mentioned in 3 posts, I am intimately familiar with the Emergency Room at Makati Med.

With global medical tourism on the rise here as well as in other parts of Asia, it doesn’t really surprise me that countries are making significant investments in hospitals.  This is especially true in the Philippines, where I would estimate that 35-50% of college-educated people become doctors or nurses (next time you’re at a US hospital, take a look around and count how many Filipinos are caring for you – I swear, nurses are the biggest thing they export here!).

I’m not sure about the merit of this statement, but a recent article in the paper quoted, “…St. Luke’s is better equipped than 95 percent of hospitals in the United States…”  This could mean big business for relatively inexpensive Asian countries like the Philippines if they can deliver on their promises and capitalize on rising medical costs in the US.  Based on our own experiences here, I can provide testament that we’ve gotten equivalent care at a fraction of the cost (visit from a neurologist for $40 anyone?)

Before you check into your local hospital again, I invite you to take a moment and consider the top-notch care a stay at St. Luke’s could provide instead:

1. A helicopter ride to the hospital to avoid all the annoying press outside
2. A 24 hour concierge service that allows relatives to call from anywhere in the world and have errands done for their confined patient
3. A Customer Care Officer to manage all your needs
4. Your choice of private lodging – a Private Room will set you back $75 a day
5. Or the more opulent Presidential Suite might be more of what you’re looking for – at $1100 a night, this 500 square foot suite on the 16th floor comes with a commanding view, a living room, dining room with table for 8, guest accommodations and a Jacuzzi.  Not too shabby, if I say so myself!

With our history of ER visits, I’m sure we’ll be checking out this facility quite soon.  I’ll be sure to give you an update and let you know if the paper’s review did it justice… this may be yet another reason to visit me here – just think of it as a 2 for 1 – some bonding with me and a cheap surgery to boot!  Warning: No trips should be planned without first consulting your insurance company (they may not want you to get that good of a deal).