Brutal Reality

Hospitals in the Philippines operate a little differently than in the United States.  When you
are admitted, you must place a large deposit to show that you can cover the costs.  If there is
medicine to buy that the hospital doesn't have (sent in from another hospital or similar) you must pay for it then.  Then when you are ready to leave, you have to pay in full, there is no billing in the future, you can not use a credit or debit card or write a check, it must be in cash!! They will give you a receipt to show the nurses and then to the guard at the door. (Up til this time I thought the guard was there to keep us safe, but now I realize he was there to keep us from leaving without paying our bill!) and then you may leave.

What if you don't have the money???

There is a baby that has been in the hospital several months now.  It is a healthy baby. It was
born premature, but when they brought the baby in, they were able to help it recover to full
health.  The only problem was, they didn't have the money to pay the bill.  The baby doesn't
leave the hospital, until his bill is paid for!  The sad thing is the mother has never visited her
baby, and the father only visits when the nurses call.  The nurses are the ones donating the food
and the diapers for the baby.

It is difficult for us to come up with a larger than expected bill, but I thank God that I have
access to avenues to get the money, I can only imagine what it is like to not be able to get
your baby out, and I can only imagine what it is like to be the baby whose mother doesn't
seem to care for it.

I thank God I have a heavenly Father that cares...
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