Angara shares own experience fighting COVID-19, says hospital bill reached P400K

Sen. Sonny Angara. FILE PHOTO / Senate PRIB

MANILA, Philippines — After undergoing treatment for the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), Senator Sonny Angara disclosed on Thursday that his hospital bill reached about P400,000.

In a teleconference with the Foreign Correspondents Association of the Philippines (Focap), Angara said he stayed at a private hospital for around eight to nine days.

Before his admission to the hospital, the senator had isolated himself from his family at home when he manifested symptoms on March 15.

On March 26, Angara got confirmation that he tested positive for the coronavirus.

“After some debate with my family members and the doctors…they said I should be [admitted]. I felt it was just a regular flu but the doctors said that based on the x-ray I took that night of the 26th that it had gone into my lungs,” he said.

“They feared something worst than just a flu, like maybe pneumonia, and two days later, they were right. Then I checked into the hospital,” he added.

Angara said he stayed at the emergency room for four days and another four days in a regular hospital room.

“Everyday I would receive a battery of medicines and tests, blood tests, ECGs [electrocardiogram]. Things like that,” he said.

While his hospital bill reached nearly half a million pesos, Angara said he considers himself fortunate to not have been admitted into the intensive care unit (ICU), which would have added up to his expenses.

“My hospital bill was P400,000. I think my bill wasn’t as big because I was fortunate…I didn’t need to be taken to the ICU,” the senator said when asked how much he spent for treatment.

“I think the stories of these huge million-peso bills are of patients who needed to be intubated and had to be in the ICU. I was lucky that wasn’t my case,” he added.

After undergoing treatment and winning his battle against COVID-19, Angara said he realized just how challenging a job of a health worker is.

“You just really appreciate, after going through something like that, very lonely and you’re not very hopeful at the start but when you come out of it you’re very grateful to the health personnel who took care of you and you realize what a tough job it is,” he said.

Edited by JPV