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Healthcare guides for the Philippines

Plain-language guides to health centers, rural health units, hospitals, pharmacies and PhilHealth in the Philippines: what each facility does, what it costs, and how to find the one nearest you.

Dermatology and Cosmetic Clinics in the Philippines: Prices and How to Check the Doctor's Credentials
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Dermatology and Cosmetic Clinics in the Philippines: Prices and How to Check the Doctor's Credentials

A dermatologist is a PRC-licensed physician certified by the Philippine Dermatological Society, a plastic surgeon is certified by the Philippine Board of Plastic Surgery, and a beauty clinic operator is neither. Injectables given by a non-doctor are the illegal practice of medicine under the Medical Act of 1959. Both the medical licence and the specialty certification can be checked free online before you book.

October 16, 2026 · 5 min read

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Executive Check-Up and Wellness Packages in the Philippines: What Is Included and What They Cost
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Executive Check-Up and Wellness Packages in the Philippines: What Is Included and What They Cost

An executive check-up bundles laboratory tests, imaging and specialist consultations into one package, with each tier adding tests to the one below it. Few Philippine hospitals publish a rate, though Asian Hospital and Medical Center lists wellness cards from ₱1,800 to ₱12,000 in 2026. PhilHealth does not pay for an executive check-up, but its YAKAP programme covers a free primary care check-up, laboratory tests and medicines.

Oct 15, 2026
Medical Supply Stores and Suppliers in the Philippines: Where Clinics Buy and How to Check a Supplier
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Medical Supply Stores and Suppliers in the Philippines: Where Clinics Buy and How to Check a Supplier

A medical device sold in the Philippines needs two things: a supplier holding an FDA Licence to Operate, and a product authorisation for the device itself. Class A devices are notified, while Class B, C and D devices have needed a Certificate of Medical Device Registration since 1 October 2024. Both the company and the product can be checked free on the FDA verification portal.

Oct 14, 2026
How to Become a Licensed Drug Distributor or Wholesaler in the Philippines: FDA Requirements
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How to Become a Licensed Drug Distributor or Wholesaler in the Philippines: FDA Requirements

Importing, exporting or wholesaling medicines in the Philippines requires an FDA Licence to Operate, applied for on the FDA eServices Portal under Administrative Order 2020-0017. The establishment must be supervised by a registered pharmacist and follow WHO good distribution and storage practices. An initial drug distributor licence costs ₱5,000 for one year and ₱10,000 on renewal for two years, because the 2001 fee schedule is back in force while the new one is suspended.

Oct 13, 2026
Pharmaceutical Companies in the Philippines: How the Supply Chain Works and the Largest Players
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Pharmaceutical Companies in the Philippines: How the Supply Chain Works and the Largest Players

A medicine reaches a Filipino patient through four regulated steps: manufacturer, importer or distributor, wholesaler and drugstore. Each needs its own FDA licence to operate, and each product needs a certificate of product registration. Unilab leads local manufacturing, Zuellig Pharma runs the distribution backbone across Asia, and the Generics Act shapes how every product is labelled, prescribed and sold.

Oct 12, 2026
Dental Clinics in the Philippines: Prices of Common Treatments and How to Check a Dentist's PRC Licence
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Dental Clinics in the Philippines: Prices of Common Treatments and How to Check a Dentist's PRC Licence

Dental care in the Philippines is mostly private and paid out of pocket. PhilHealth added preventive oral health services to its Konsulta package from 28 December 2024, covering screening, cleaning, fluoride varnish, sealants and emergency extraction. Everything else, from root canals at ₱3,500 upward to braces at ₱45,000, is a private fee. A dentist must hold a valid PRC certificate of registration and identification card, which you can verify online.

Oct 11, 2026
Pre-Employment Medical Exam in the Philippines: Where to Get One, What It Costs and What Fit-to-Work Means
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Pre-Employment Medical Exam in the Philippines: Where to Get One, What It Costs and What Fit-to-Work Means

A standard pre-employment medical exam in the Philippines covers a physical examination, complete blood count, urinalysis, fecalysis, chest X-ray and drug test, published at ₱1,000 by one Metro Manila clinic group in 2026. The drug test must be done at a government forensic laboratory or a DOH-accredited drug testing laboratory. HIV testing as a condition of employment is unlawful, and hepatitis B screening may not be made a prerequisite to hiring.

Oct 10, 2026
Mental Health Services in the Philippines: Crisis Hotlines, Free Counselling and PhilHealth Coverage
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Mental Health Services in the Philippines: Crisis Hotlines, Free Counselling and PhilHealth Coverage

In a crisis, call the NCMH Crisis Hotline on 1553 (toll-free from Luzon landlines) or 0917-899-8727, Hopeline on 0917-558-4673 or 2919, In Touch on (02) 8893-7603, or Tawag Paglaum in the Visayas on 0939-937-5433, and dial 911 if someone is in immediate danger. Beyond the hotlines, the Mental Health Act requires every regional, provincial and tertiary hospital to provide psychiatric services, PhilHealth pays ₱9,000 a year for general and ₱16,000 for specialist outpatient mental health care, and private psychiatrists charge ₱1,500 to ₱5,000 a session. This guide covers who to call, where to go, what it costs, and your rights at work and school.

Oct 8, 2026
HIV Testing in the Philippines: Free Testing Sites, Social Hygiene Clinics, PrEP and Confidentiality
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HIV Testing in the Philippines: Free Testing Sites, Social Hygiene Clinics, PrEP and Confidentiality

The DOH recorded 4,633 new HIV cases in the first quarter of 2026, about 51 a day, and estimates 288,000 Filipinos are living with HIV, only 55 percent of them diagnosed. Testing is free, voluntary and confidential at city social hygiene clinics, DOH treatment hubs and community centers such as LoveYourself, and anyone aged 15 or older can be tested without a parent's consent under Republic Act 11166. This guide covers where to test, what the law guarantees, PrEP and PEP, what happens after a reactive result, and PhilHealth's ₱58,500-a-year treatment package.

Oct 7, 2026
TB Testing and Free Treatment at Health Centers (TB-DOTS) in the Philippines
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TB Testing and Free Treatment at Health Centers (TB-DOTS) in the Philippines

The Philippines has the world's third-largest TB burden: 6.8 percent of the 10.7 million cases in 2024, about 625 per 100,000 people, and an estimated 98 deaths a day. Testing and the full course of treatment are free at rural health units and city health centers under the National TB Program, and PhilHealth pays accredited DOTS centres ₱7,800 per case. This guide covers symptoms, where to get tested, what the six-month regimen involves, what the law says about TB and your job, and the 2030 targets.

Oct 6, 2026
Free Vaccines at Health Centers: The National Immunization Schedule and Where to Get Them
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Free Vaccines at Health Centers: The National Immunization Schedule and Where to Get Them

Every vaccine on the DOH National Immunization Program is free at rural health units, city health centers and barangay health stations: BCG and hepatitis B at birth, pentavalent, oral and injectable polio and pneumococcal vaccine at 6, 10 and 14 weeks, MMR at 9 and 12 months, and measles-rubella, tetanus-diphtheria and HPV through the school-based programme. This guide sets out the 2026 schedule by age, who qualifies, catch-up doses, adult vaccines, what the same shots cost privately, and why the 45 percent rise in measles cases in early 2026 makes the free schedule worth finishing.

Oct 4, 2026
Giving Birth in the Philippines: Health Center, Lying-In Clinic or Hospital, and the PhilHealth Maternity Package
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Giving Birth in the Philippines: Health Center, Lying-In Clinic or Hospital, and the PhilHealth Maternity Package

Prenatal check-ups are free at your rural health unit or city health center, and since 30 April 2026 PhilHealth pays the whole cost of a low-risk normal delivery in a ward: ₱14,000 at an accredited lying-in clinic or birthing home, ₱29,000 in a hospital, and ₱58,000 to ₱62,000 for a caesarean, with no balance billing in basic accommodation. This guide compares the three settings, lists what PhilHealth pays and what you still pay, and covers high-risk referral, birth registration, maternity leave and breastfeeding rights.

Oct 3, 2026
Generic Medicines in the Philippines: The Generics Act, TGP, and How to Pay Less
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Generic Medicines in the Philippines: The Generics Act, TGP, and How to Pay Less

A generic is the same molecule at a fraction of the price: on 16 September 2026 amlodipine 5 mg cost ₱2.00 a tablet at The Generics Pharmacy and ₱5.75 at Southstar Drug, against ₱23.00 for Norvasc. The Generics Act obliges doctors to prescribe by generic name and drugstores to show you every cheaper option, and the Cheaper Medicines Act lets the President cap prices. This guide covers the law, the price caps, real chain prices, and the PhilHealth and discount routes to paying less.

Oct 2, 2026
Senior Citizen and PWD Discounts on Medicines, Lab Tests and Hospital Bills: How to Claim Them
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Senior Citizen and PWD Discounts on Medicines, Lab Tests and Hospital Bills: How to Claim Them

Under Republic Act 9994 and Republic Act 10754, senior citizens and persons with disability get a 20% discount and exemption from the 12% VAT on medicines, medical and dental services, laboratory and diagnostic fees and doctors' professional fees, in private and public facilities, with the OSCA or PWD ID. On a ₱1,000 VAT-inclusive medicine the price falls to ₱714.29. Here is the computation, the rules on vitamins and online purchases, how it works with PhilHealth, and where to complain.

Oct 1, 2026
HMO vs PhilHealth vs Private Health Insurance in the Philippines: What Each Covers and 2026 Prices
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HMO vs PhilHealth vs Private Health Insurance in the Philippines: What Each Covers and 2026 Prices

PhilHealth is mandatory and costs 5% of basic salary, ₱500 to ₱5,000 a month in 2026; it pays fixed case rates in any hospital, free ward care in DOH hospitals, free primary care under YAKAP and Z benefits for catastrophic illness. An HMO fills the balance in private hospitals up to an annual limit, from about ₱1,000 a year for emergency-only cover to five figures for a full plan. Private health insurance pays cash on diagnosis or per hospital day. Here is how they compare and who needs which.

Sep 30, 2026
City Health Offices in the Philippines: What They Do, Services, Hours, and the Offices People Search For
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City Health Offices in the Philippines: What They Do, Services, Hours, and the Offices People Search For

A City Health Office is the city government's health department under the Local Government Code, headed by a licensed physician. It runs the city's health centers, gives free consultations, immunisation, prenatal care, TB treatment, family planning and anti-rabies vaccine, and issues the health certificates food handlers need and the sanitary permits businesses need. This guide lists the services, typical hours and fees, and links the offices people search for most.

Sep 29, 2026
Government Hospitals in the Philippines: DOH Regional Medical Centers, Malasakit Centers and How Charity Care Works
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Government Hospitals in the Philippines: DOH Regional Medical Centers, Malasakit Centers and How Charity Care Works

Government hospitals in the Philippines come in tiers: 87 hospitals run by the Department of Health, including the regional medical centers and four specialty centers, plus provincial, district and city hospitals run by local governments. In a ward bed of a DOH hospital a PhilHealth member pays nothing under zero balance billing, and the Malasakit Center in every DOH hospital puts PhilHealth, DSWD, PCSO and DOH medical assistance under one roof. Here is how to use them.

Sep 28, 2026
What to Do in a Medical Emergency in the Philippines: 911, Ambulances, ERs and the No-Deposit Rule
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What to Do in a Medical Emergency in the Philippines: 911, Ambulances, ERs and the No-Deposit Rule

Dial 911, the free national emergency hotline that has routed police, fire and medical calls through one number since September 2025, or Red Cross 143, then go to the nearest hospital with an emergency room. Under Republic Act 10932 no hospital may demand a deposit before emergency treatment, and PhilHealth now pays for ER care that does not end in admission. This guide covers the numbers, the ambulance options, the warning signs of stroke and heart attack, and poison control.

Sep 27, 2026
Hospital Levels in the Philippines: Level 1, 2 and 3 Explained, and What Each Can Treat
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Hospital Levels in the Philippines: Level 1, 2 and 3 Explained, and What Each Can Treat

The Department of Health licenses every Philippine hospital as Level 1, 2 or 3 under Administrative Order 2012-0012. Level 1 has a doctor in charge, an operating room, maternity ward, laboratory, X-ray and pharmacy; Level 2 adds board-certified specialists, an ICU and NICU; Level 3 adds residency training, dialysis, a blood bank and interventional radiology. Every hospital must post its level at the entrance.

Sep 26, 2026