Hi Girls. I am on my 4th shot now. I just want to post my experience since it might help others. It really cost me a lot but my objective here is to give more information to others. This is what happened when I got bitten/scratched by a dog (house pet of my friend, seems fully vaccinated, pure bred chow chow):
1. I rushed to the ER (Makati Med) roughly 2 hours after I got bitten. BTW, I cleaned the wound after being bitten. This is really important according to my research the following days.
2. I was prescribed Verorab 0.5/vial to be injected intramuscularly. There are a total of 5 shots (Day 0, Day 3, Day 7, Day 14 and Day 28). It will cost you PHP1875 for the first shot alone in Makati Med. My total cost for the ER was PHP4,502: including the 1st vial, Bactroban antibacterial ointment (PHP309), ER fee (PHP1,200), Intramuscular Injection (PHP250), Doctor's Fee (PHP800) and the medical supplies (because the nurse also cleaned my wound).
2nd shot: I tried looking for other options for the remaining shots that I needed to take.
a. Mercury Drugstore branches are out of Verorab for a long time now. But each vial will cost PHP1600++
b. PGH Pharmacy: They were closed (I went on a Saturday during the Pope's visit to inquire for my Day 3's shot).
c. San Lazaro Hospital in Manila: Initially, I wanted to buy the vial only and have my sister-in-law administer it to me; but I was declined by their Pharmacy. I needed to have a San Lazaro prescription in order for me to buy. Same with PGH, they are closed during Sundays and will only accept certain exceptions such us very critical conditions and babies/elders. The kind nurses told me that it was ok to miss a day when completing the shots so they asked me to come back Monday. I went back Monday at 6am. (Please check online the process there.) I got to to finally talk to the doctor by 9:30AM only to be rejected since they do not have any supplies of Verorab. According to the doctor, I could shift to what they had then, but of course there were risks (allergy, vomit, death) and I needed to sign a waiver before she can give me a different prescription. I decided to proceed with what has already been prescribed to me originally.
d. St. Lazarus Animal Bite Clinic (Clinic right in front of the entrance of San Lazaro Hospital. One with the blue door): I got my 2nd shot here. It cost me a total of PHP1,500. But they also have cheaper alternatives, similar to what is being offered by San Lazaro with each vial costing around PHP400-500. I honestly prefer this clinic over the hospital because there was no line at all. Well, 1-2 patients before me. Everything was done by 10 mins once I had made up my mind to proceed with what has been prescribed to me from Day 0. (The cheaper alternative was very tempting but I have to start with Day 0 again if I decided to shift. In monetary terms, the whole 5 shots would be equivalent to 2 shots of my original prescription.)
e. I went back to St. Lazarus Clinic for my 3rd shot. Btw, they are open 24/7. They even texted me the morning of my Day 7 shot to remind me of it. Unfortunately, when I went there around 9PM, there were out of stock of Verorab. Fortunately, the pharmacy beside it (Long Life Drug Corp) was still open and had available supplies. The vial costs PHP1600. The nurse from the clinic was kind enough to administer it to me.
f. I texted the clinic for my 4th shot (which will be tomorrow). Unfortunately, they are still out of stock. The nurse textmate suggested that I can shift to their available vaccine since it is my last shot (it will still have the same effect). I'm still undecided but I do have other options. One is again, hopefully Long Life still has supplies. Or 2, I already called the UST Pharmacy and I was informed that they have supplies available. Each vial will cost PHP1400++. They also accept prescriptions from other hospitals.
Some conflicting things I've heard so far:
1. The doctor from Makati Med advised me to follow through with the schedule on the dot. The doctors and nurses from both San Lazaro hospital and St Lazarus clinic told me that you can miss it a day or two.
2. The doctor from Makati Med prescribed 5 shots to me. The resident doctor from San Lazaro hospital mentioned that for public hospitals, they only prescribe 4 shots. When I asked the doctor from the SL hospital if I can have 4 shots instead of 5, she mentioned that the last shot serves as a booster (and will protect you for 3 more years).
Notes:
1. Check with the hospitals (outpatient) or pharmacies if they are open on weekends and holidays.
2. Government pharmacies do not accept prescriptions from other hospitals.
Why I prefer the SL clinic over the SL hospital:
- NO LINE. NO LINE. NO FREAKING LINE.
- Helpful and patient nurses. - They answered all my questions and paranoia. Don't hesitate to call or text them. Really.
- And in terms of cost, I figure that they (SL clinic and SL hospital) are practically almost the same. I think the system in the hospital will ask several patients to share with a vial and cost between them. Patients have to ask around and look for partners. In the clinic, they have readily available already cost down vials (PHP400-500).
- They text you to remind you of your shot!
Btw, I do not think that they are affiliated. Anyway, I hope this helps someone out. Especially those prescribed with Verorab.