In the Philippines, hospitals are classified into three types - public, private, and semi-private. Listed here are the types of hospitals together with their common advantages and disadvantages.
Public hospitals
In the few remaining government-owned hospitals in the Philippines, medical consultation is free as with other services, and medicines and other medical supplies are sold at low prices.
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| Philippine Heart Center, one of the few government-owned hospitals in the country |
Advantages
- free medical services from trained doctors
- free confinement for severe illnesses
Disadvantages:
- patients need to register for free services, which can take several days
- free laboratory testing needs to be prescribed by a doctor from the same hospital before given
- few doctors and medical equipment are available for too many patients
- medicines and medical supplies are seldom given free
- busy hospital staff barely have any time to clean hospital rooms and equipment
- emergency room may reject some patients when full
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| Philippine General Hospital, a semi-private medical center providing both public and private quality services |
These are hospitals which can offer free standard medical services to the public, and priority services to those who can afford to pay.
The Philippine General Hospital, which is the most popular medical center in the Philippines, is a semi-private medical center, whose private sector is the University Physicians Medical Center located beside it.
A semi-private hospital has flexible services, meaning it can provide both public and private services at the same time, minimizing the disadvantages of the two.
A semi-private hospital has flexible services, meaning it can provide both public and private services at the same time, minimizing the disadvantages of the two.
Private hospitals
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| St. Luke's Medical Center, a popular private hospital providing world-class medical services |
A 15-minute consultation with a doctor without treatment may range from ₱500 to ₱1000 (equivalent to $10.99 to $21.98 as of July 29, 2015).
Advantages:
- short waiting time for consultation and testing
- internationally-accredited expert doctors are found in private hospitals
- hospital rooms and equipment are routinely and thoroughly cleaned
- free or discounted medical services are sometimes offered to indigent patients (charity services)
Disadvantage:
- everything from private hospitals is expensive
According to the information above, it is very convenient to receive medical services when the person has enough money to pay for the medical centers.