I went to UP-PGH SAGIP yesterday to get my meds. I usually see my doctor there whenever Dr. T wants me to pick up my meds. SAGIP is located on the second floor, right on top of the Emergency Ward. Facing the PGH Building from Taft, just stay on your left side and look for the emergency ward. On the right side of the ward is a door . Just look for the stairs and come up. SAGIP is on the right side. The second floor is the Infectious Disease Section of the hospital too and it's not hard to find. The hallway outside is clean and there is a bench outside and one will see some patients come in and out of the room. The SAGIP office is a small, airconditioned room with only 2 cubicles for patient assessment.
Nina, the nurse/secretary was friendly and always smiling. She is very accommodating. I, being "adopted" by SAGIP for only my medicines, I really don't know the policies there or how patients are really being treated. But worrying about the financial burden of a lot of pozzies with regards to the lab exams to be undertaken, I began to interview Nina.
She said that there are 3 classes of paying scheme in PGH. First, the out-pay which covers the actual price of the lab exams. The second is the Class B, wherein patients secure a blue card so they can get discounts from the lab exams. Third is the Class D which the patient secures a white card and needs to be interviewed by the social worker. The white card holder usually gives the patient free lab work fees. SAGIP services including doctor consultations and ARV's are all for free. Great, right?
Nina said for most of their patients, they ask them to get a blue card so they have discounts. She then told me the actual prices for the lab exams and tests:
A. HIV Test:
1. Walk in : P295
2. Blue Card : P185
3. White Card : P150
B. If HIV Positive and Asymptomatic (no symptoms of illness), these are the REQUIRED lab tests/blood work for baseline information. These prices are under the Blue card Class:
1. Sputum ASB Smear - P30 (if they want cultured, it's P165)
2. Chest Xray- P110
3. Hepa Profile: P1,075
4. CBC - P50
5. Creatinine- P30
6. AST/ALT - P40 each
7. Lipid Profile: P170
8. RPR: P65
9. Toxo IGG: P390
Total amount for these lab tests is P2,000
C. CD4 Count Test is free for baseline in SAGIP, but succeeding CD4 tests are not free anymore. SAGIP sends their patients to get their CD4 counts every 3 or 6 months regularly to:
1. San Lazaro Hospital : P2,000
2. RITM in Alabang : P3,000
*** It is imperative to regularly check the CD4 once diagnosed with HIV because even though the patient is asymptomatic, the virus inside is active and can lower the immune system without any warning at all. The CD4 will tell when the patient will have to undergo treatment already, when to take the ARV's to prevent the CD4 from falling down fast.
D. Not included here are the symptomatic HIV cases because the doctors will then dictate what other lab exams have to be undertaken.
The problem with a lot of pozzies is financial support. Most, have not even told their families yet about their condition so the burden goes only to them. It is really hard but one has to really pay attention to his/her condition as soon as he/she becomes a pozzie. But if one doesn't do what the doctors tell them to do, if one doesn't have regular check ups every 3 months after he/she was diagnosed, it would be more burdensome financially, if his/her condition already progresses to AIDS.
For inquiries call:
UP-PGH SAGIP
Tel No. 5548400 loc 3249
Look for Nina