You guys probably wonder why do you need watcher at the hospital here since the nurse will be there anyway. Well let me tell you about being hospitalized here in the Philippines. You can have as many watchers as you want during day time as long as it doesn’t bother the patient, I think its allowed if you are only staying in the private rooms & suite rooms. I’m sure it’s different when staying at the ward room with 3 – 6 beds in one room. They limit the watcher there then for just one person during night time since they don’t have space to sleep for that many people. But I think you can accept few visitors during visiting hours.
Typical scene in Philippine Hospital where there are people watching over the patient
When Bob was hospitalized for 4 days. I was pretty much his watcher 24/7. I’m sure you guys were asking what’s my role as a watcher? Well for one, whenever the doctor prescribed medicine to Bob that’s needed, if the medicine prescribed were not available in the pharmacy downstairs, me being his watcher it’s my job to go out and buy necessary medicine at the drugstore outside the hospital building. The nurses are not allowed to go out and buy the medicine for the patients, so it is really needed to have a watcher for every patient here.
With Bob, I was pretty much his arms and hands. Why I said that, he can’t really move any of his arm and hand. It swelled so much that he can’t even get a grip of the glass or utensils using his hands. So basically, every time he needs to eat or drink I had to give it to him. Some medicine that he was taking orally I had to be the one putting on his mouth. He was immobile for a few weeks. Luckily the kids were the watchers during daytime at the hospital and the house.
Nurses are not the only helpers in Philippine Hospitals
Really the watcher has to communicate well with the nurses and the doctor. Basically the watcher will be the one who pays attention to what medicine needs to be taken care of and what time. The watcher is the one in-charge of everything down to making inside of the room clean. Whenever the patient needs assistance from the nurse or hospital staff, the watcher will be the person that would go to the nurse’s station and tell them what the patient needs. During night time the patient might need assistance in going to the bathroom, the patients wants to eat or something. So the watcher will always be ready to help out physically and emotionally to the patient. In short the watcher is the beck and call. LOL
The private room where Bob stayed had no button to push for calling the nurses station. So me being the watcher, I’m responsible for going to the nurses station whenever Bob had some emergency in our room. I am not sure if the suite rooms in that hospital has the automatic push button on the bed to call for the nurses station. If I remember when Bob was in Doctor’s hospital in Gensan before, I think their beds there at the private room had button to push in-case you need assistance from the nurses. Bob was at the ICU in Gensan for a week. Supposed to be no watcher was allowed inside, but they made an exception for me because Bob didn’t want to be inside that room if I’m not there inside the room with him. Really only the nurse was the watcher in the ICU. I saw the watchers at the ICU here in Davao at the Adventist hospital where Bob stayed. They had special rooms for the watchers.
I experienced being in the hospital in the States a few times. When I gave birth to my kids and I was once hospitalized due to I was contracted with a bad virus and being pregnant with my youngest it was difficult. When giving birth to my eldest, Bob was with me the whole time. I stayed in the hospital for a day and a half. When giving birth to our second son, Bob was my watcher there until our son was born, then later in the evening he had to get our eldest son who was staying with our best friend there. Bob was with our son that night, then the next day, early morning Bob dropped our eldest son again to our friend so that he would stay with me at the hospital until I was discharged later that day. When I was 6 months pregnant with our youngest I got a bad virus and it almost killed me and my unborn son. I was admitted in the hospital for almost a week. With that being said, Bob stayed with me during the day. So during night time I was alone in the hospital and crying. The thing on that virus it nearly collapsed both my lungs. Bob being my watcher during daytime he knew when to give my medicine for my breathing. He did keep tabs on that. Just like the way I kept tabs on his med now.
Patients in the Philippines are so spoiled of having family nearby to be the watcher. I guess thank God for the close family ties here. Praying for good health to everyone. God bless!!!