Last April 13, around noon, we started going from one public hospital to another, hoping someone could finally help us, just to check my father’s sudden weakness and why he was becoming unresponsive. One after another, we were turned away. At one point, seeing the situation inside a provincial public hospital made us feel even more lost… like we didn’t know where else to go.
Out of desperation, we went to a private hospital just to have him checked, even if we had no clear plan on how we’d manage the expenses. After he was treated, we were told they no longer had a charity program. We had no choice but to have him discharged from the ER because we simply couldn’t afford to stay any longer.
That night, we went back on the road again, hospital to hospital, hoping someone would finally admit him. It wasn’t until around 3 AM the next day, at the fourth public hospital we went to, that he was finally admitted. I can’t even fully describe the frustration and helplessness we felt that night, running around in the middle of the night, carrying so much fear, just trying to find a place that would take him in. All because we couldn’t afford private care.
That’s when it really hits you, how the system fails people like us. When you don’t have the means for private healthcare, where are you supposed to go? Who’s there for you when every door keeps closing?
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