Last year, I headed to The Medical City (my go-to hospital for emergency hospital visits and…read moreroutine check-ups) as I was suffering through a horrible cough. I asked at reception about which doctor was available at the moment as I didn't want to queue for hours on end. Thankfully, Dr. Agno was available to accommodate me. I was comfortable from the moment I entered her office. Dr. Agno is very respectful, polite, kind and knowledgeable. Based on my account, she immediately knew that iIwas suffering from an allergy from the pollutants/elements that were in the air due to New Year's celebrations and my extensive exposure to second-hand cigarette smoke (I'm allergic). She handed me a prescription and I was as good as new in a little under a week. Thank you, Dr. Agno! I hope never to see you again but I would happily refer you to anybody who needs your service.

Part of the struggle of being a diabetic is finding a doctor that you can trust. Here in Manila,…read moreone of the challenges of finding good Endocrinologists and Diabetologists is finding one who doesn't exclusively hold clinic in some far-flung, commute-inaccessible places, or doesn't exclusively hold clinic during workdays. Imagine my surprise when I found a doctor who is not only capable and competent, but also accessible. Dr. Eveleyn Paraan, at first, became my doctor simply because she has hours in STI Megaclinic, and said hours also fall on a Saturday. I happily went, not really expecting anything other than a sober and clinical handling of my condition, at most maybe a boot camp-styled doctor, making me do calisthenics and sing in cadence while jogging. What I got was a doctor who was all that, except she's more of the "warm bedside manner" doctor than the boot camp-y one. Oh, make no mistake, Dr. Paraan is all no-nonsense Endocrinologist, an obvious master in her field, but she also excitedly asks if you've been maintaining your diet and exercise, and actually visibly deflates when you say you fell off the wagon. Dr. Paraan is less cold doctor, more a confidant and a companion in your journey in diabeetus.

Hi-Precision is my To Go place whenever I need to do a lab test (blood/Urine). The team is…read more professional and the place is modern and clean. It can get quite packed but they open early so it's good to go then. But the wait is never too long and they are well organized. Furthermore you get the results online and it's fast as well. Their pricing is reasonable.

Efficient, courteous, on time, easy access. As a visiting lab testing service I was very happy.read more

We found Dr. Maningat when I was diagnosed with Gestational Diabetes on my second pregnancy. I was…read moreadvised by my OB-Gyne to consult an endocrinologist to control my blood sugar, and our health insurance company referred me to Dr. Patricia Maningat. When I went to my first consultation, I didn't like her for the reason that she instructed me to change my diet (no sugar, boo!) and monitor my blood sugar levels. Now I realized that that was one of the best advices I got regarding my health. My mom (who is a diabetic) also started seeing Dr. Maningat after she accompanied me to one of my checkups and saw how thorough she was with every patient, and how effective her advices were. My mom was having Hypoglycemia at that time because of her diet and medications, but Dr. Maningat helped her overcome that. The drive from our house to St. Luke's takes a minimum of 30 minutes, but we don't mind because we know we get the best medical advice from Dr. Maningat. We have to leave early though to be first in the long list of patients she sees in her clinic.

I did my acne treatment with Dra Gatan, and I must say, after 6mos of religiously following her…read moretreatment plan, I was free of acne and left with glowing and bright skin afterwards. Definitely recommend her to anyone who wants affordable yet a very effective treatment plan! She's very nice and accommodating with my questions too and always answering them, the best she could.

I've known Dra. Gatan ever since I was a kid. I remember going with my sister to her clinic at…read moreGreenhills whenever she would get her facial twice a month. My sister is gorgeous but the skin on her face is so acne-prone that she needed to visit the dermatologists when she started breaking out. Thankfully, I managed to inherit my mother's genes when it comes to skin. I rarely ever get pimples and when I do, I either prick them on my own (which, of course, isn't advisable but I do it anyway) or, if the acne problem looks quite severe, I take it to Dra. Gatan for a check-up. While I had less time going to her for my acne problems, I realized that the few times I did, I always felt taken good care of. From her receptionists to her nurses to Dra. Gatan herself, I have always felt secured whenever I visit. The same goes for my sister. I mean, she's been going to Dra. Gatan since she was 16 and they've gotten so close that she even took Dra. Gatan as one of her godmothers during her wedding. What I also love about Dra. Gatan is how meticulous she is with her patients. But that doesn't go to say that she prescribes creams, soaps or medicines that are ridiculously pricey. In fact, she either tells you to use whatever good brands are in the market or buy her own stuff! Dra. Gatan's line of creams, which I use as my night moisturizer, is actually cheaper than other leading brands. She also has a wonderful sunblock cream that my sister and I swear by. So if you're looking for an alternative to the Belos and the Calayans of the dermatology world in the Philippines, I think Dra. Edna Gatan is one of the best. She's never failed me, my sister or any of the people I've recommended!

If I were to think of the first word that comes to mind when I think of Dr. Tamondong, I would…read moreright off the bat say "funny". The guy is hilarious! I had just arrived from a winter trip to New York and LA but it was just my luck that I had caught a bug somewhere along the way and was in need of serious medication. Dr. Tamondong diagnosed me with acute trachea-bronchitis and he put me on antibiotics to fight off the bacteria in my body. He was entertaining and made me feel at ease the entire time I was there. Best of all, my bronchitis was gone in a few days. I'm so grateful for doctors.

went to this doctor late february. had a couple of tests: xray showed pneumonia, sputum sample was…read moreclear. tamondong declared TB. went to two other hosrpitals : pneumonia. had to resign from work because of the stigma. people didn't want to go near me coz they really thought I had TB. STUPID DOCTOR.

Great! We had challenge using our CC payments. Elise one of the PSN staff patiently waited for our…read moretransaction. Overall experience is ok.

Weird experience. St. Lukes is hit-or-miss, flip a coin. It seems only the doctors have enough…read moreEnglish skill to communicate effectively. The problem is that they trust their secretaries/nurses (same person) to communicate in texts and in person. The miscommunications are comedic but frustrating. Today, I was happy to get a walk-in consult that my other doctor required before surgery. This cardio clearance" lasted about 5 minutes and was a quick "Do you....? do you.....? do you....?" check 5 boxes and then rush me out the of the oddly small office. I lol actually thought that Dr. Greggy A. Panga was comping me for the consult (as some doctors do at St. Lukes for such short "consults"), so I was preparing to give the nurse/secretary a sizable tip, but then she said, "5,000 pesos." Suddenly her English is sharp lol I had asked her TWICE before I went in about the cost but she somehow couldn't understand and then suddenly waved me into the doctor's tiny office with hundreds of "Stich" (of cartoon "Lilo and Stich") toys covering the one basic bookshelf that took up the whole wall. After getting my free coffee and snack downstairs, I decided to ask the desk staff about the cost. They were kind but couldn't understand me, nor I them (!), as it took about 25 minutes to finally grasp her meaning after I asked her to write the costs on paper. Anyway, the nurse had told the desk staff that they had discounted it for me from 100$ to 75$. Well, they certainly made no mention of that to me in the office nor on my billing sheet. So it was apparently even more ridiculous of a price. Again, there were no prices listed anywhere (or none shown to me despite my asking several times). St. Luke's allows its doctors to charge ANY AMOUNT THEY CHOOSE! So then you're shocked after you've had one reasonable procedure/cost with one doctor only to get charged 4 times more with another doctor. Buyer beware. Check the cost first. Also, this doctor today was rather strange as he avoided looking me in the eye and then rushed through the info and rushed me out despite having no other patients waiting and it was 3:30pm (so I don't think he was late for some golf tee-time). Maybe he was planning on price-gouging me and felt guilty. Hmmm....anyway, sigh, not a good feeling, feeling ripped-off, especially at the premier medical establishment in the Philippines.

When I was in college, we got the University Health Service for our health needs. But when I got…read morethis viral infection that looks like dengue (but isn't), my mom ordered me to get health insurance because we had a difficult time getting the service we wanted from just being a UP student. We used to be under her former employer's HMO, Intellicare. But since she moved out of the country, we had to get our own. She suggested Caritas because it's more affordable, with me still being a student then. Years later, and even now that I'm employed, I carried on with my Caritas membership. PROS: They offer a variety of health coverages and services depending on your budget. I have this quarterly plan that my aunt got for me where I pay P5,000.00 every three months; Their clinics and accredited hospitals, as well as the included benefits, are comprehensive enough for me. But this may not be enough for people with a lot of health needs, like children and the elderly. Fortunately, I haven't been in any serious health scare like accidents. Because of that though, I don't really know how they fare in covering your hospital costs in case of accidents. CONS: The clinic itself is far from fancy. If you're used to Medical City or Healthway, you may find it disappointing. It's dimly-lit and crowded as well. Their bathrooms are scary and you could see that their equipment needs updating; Even if you have an appointment, the doctor would be late or won't even show up. TL;DR: Caritas has low- to mid-range clinics and HMO services. There are a lot more clinics better than this one, but it's one of the most affordable private health service providers.

*Note: This is a 4.5 Star review…read more I was a first time visitor and I really enjoyed the experience. I was quite scared about the consultation but the staff put my mind at ease. They answered every question honestly and thoroughly without sugar coating anything which I greatly appreciated. Dr. Marilou Yap-Tan was very gentle and conservative. During my consultation Dr. Marilou patiently discussed all of my questions and addressed my concerns. She made me feel comfortable and reviewed how she would address each issue. At the end of the consultation, she told me that, since cauterization would be very painful, I should try a home treatment first. She carefully wrote every step and included the prescription too. After seeing me, I was expecting a hefty sum to pay for the consultation. So, I was very surprised when her assistant told me that I only had to pay Php500. If you are in need of consultation or a second opinion on any skin-related issue, visit Skin Health Center. :)

I've always been a sickly kid, so when I moved to Manila and got exposed to pollution every single…read moreday, my visit to clinics became more and more frequent. I was lucky to have discovered Healthway early on, because they had everything I needed at such a convenient location. A couple years ago, Healthway Manila used to be just inside Robinson's Place along Padre Faura. Now though they moved outside the mall, to the corner of Padre Faura and Jorge Bocobo. I haven't been to their new location yet, but if their service didn't change, then I don't care. I will keep my 5 star rating. They have everything you need here: dentists, opthalmologists, oncologists, all sorts of -ists, ENTs, etcetera. You don't even have to set an appointment. Just walk in, tell them what ails you, and you'll be taken care of. I guarantee it.