Hospitals/Pharmacies
Hospitals:
Bantayan Town has a small basic Hospital, as does Madridejos at the top of the Island, and there are smaller clinics in Santa Fe, Bantayan Town & Madridejos to treat simple issues (stitches, food poisoning, issues needing antibiotics etc) but if you are seriously injured or need urgent care, you may have to get a Ferry off the Island and go to Cebu City (Cebu Doctors Hospital, Chung Wa Hospital, etc.) and Bantayan Hospital also has a Dental Clinic for extractions and fillings, etc - they also do very good work for dentures and caps.
I know of situations involving motor crashes, head injuries, kidney stones, heart attack, stroke etc. where people and families had to arrange for an ambulance, boat or plane to transport them from Santa Fe, so they could board a Ferry Boat to Hagnaya, and be fetched by a waiting ambulance at Hagnaya Pier, taking them to a Cebu City Hospital for urgent treatment (remember, a 3hr+ ride) and the same via the airport in Santa Fe which is the quickest option to Cebu City.
Payment is in cash when services are rendered, and in some Cebu City Hospitals, before services are rendered.
* Most US Health Insurance plans are not accepted here in Philippines - it's wise to purchase some travel insurance before beginning your trip (do a search online; there are many companies specializing in this, at reasonable prices)
* Dentists are also located in Santa Fe, Bantayan Town & Madridejos, and there’s an Eye Doctor in Bantayan Town located off the Plaza’s south corner, for eye exams & glasses if you need them there. (get your contact lens solution there if you run out)
* Dr. Jupiter Batayola & Dr. Jesus Yap are General Practitioners of Medicine in the Bantayan Town Plaza Area, and treat many foreigners on Bantayan who need to see a doctor - both are easy going guys with a very good reputations, and Dr. Jupiter is located beside JCB Pharmacy on the Plaza’s south side - while Dr. Yap is located on the west side of the Bantayan Town Plaza; just ask at the Pharmacies, or in Bantayan Town Plaza and they'll both be easy to find, and I can personally recommend both Doctors, but please remember that none are set up to provide critical trauma or cardiac care and neither are the hospitals here; that happens in Cebu City Hospitals.
Pharmacies:
The best & biggest are in Bantayan Town in the Plaza area and at the vendors plaza by Bantayan Pier, and many prescription meds in the USA are available over the counter here (you’ll need a prescription for painkillers & the like)
Rivmar Pharmacy is a good small Pharmacy in Santa Fe, and is a 60 second walk from Khel’s BBQ in town, just ask around and locals will point you there.
I personally keep a supply of CIPRO (Ciproflaxin) the latest 5th Generation Antibiotic with me for emergency use only for dirty cuts that are easily infected, as do many travelers - but since I'm not an MD you'll have to ask your own doctor for medical advise regarding your international travels.
* CIPRO and the other latest generation antibiotics are not usually available in Santa Fe - you’ll have to go to Bantayan Town’s Pharmacies to get it.
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