Almost a Week in QMMC

Two months ago, Youngest Brother contracted one of the vicious diseases in the Philippines. My brother became ill of dengue fever.

My brother is already out of the hospital and out of danger. However, I can still remember the worry that my parents felt when they discovered my brother's illness. We thought at first that my brother only had the usual fever. The initial medical check-up also showed that he didn't have any grave illness. But after a few days of fever, my parents decided to bring Youngest Brother to Quirino Memorial Medical Center (QMMC).

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There, my parents discovered that my brother had a dengue fever. Our consolation is that the dengue fever is just starting, which means that he didn't need any blood transfusion. The doctor said that my brother only needed to stay in the hospital for a few days for recovery.

Renting a private room in QMMC is expensive. Our family didn't have enough money to afford such expensive room. Also, we need to spend our money for my brother's medicines and other needs. My parents decided to send my brother to the “charity ward.”

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QMMC's children's ward.

The ward is very crowded. It was said that majority of the patients in that ward were victims of dengue. It was the dengue season during the time when my brother got sick.

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Other patients in QMMC's children's ward.

My brother had to share one hospital bed with two patients. It is a big sacrifice on his part but still he is fortunate because he got a bed. Other patients had no choice but to sit on monobloc chairs.

The stay in the “charity ward” is not free of charge. The hospital bed is for rent. The only benefit on staying in the ward is that my brother became eligible to get assistance from the Department of Social Work.

My brother recovered after staying for almost a week in QMMC. We are so happy that he is out of danger. Our hope is that none of us in the family will suffer another dengue fever.

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Do you or your loved ones experienced dengue fever? Or did you experienced staying in a public hospital? Tell us your experiences by leaving a comment in the comment box below.