Medical at St. Luke's

Two weeks to go til my husband and son’s interview at the U.S. Embassy in Manila and I am so excited and nervous.

They had their medical examination at St Luke’s extension clinic. It was a two-day process, they did not have an appointment since it is first-come first-serve for their particular visa category IR1/IR2. All they needed to bring was their appointment letters and photos.

Day 1

I had informed my husband to arrive early at the clinic and prepare my 2-year-old son’s gear for the day: food, toys and extra clothes because it was going to be a long day. He also brought along Grandma to keep an extra eye on my son. It was a good thing because at some points during the medical, my son and husband were separated in different rooms. When they arrived, they filled out a lot of forms and the appointments letters were checked and rechecked. First stop was the 5th floor where the vitals were taken (weight, height, blood pressure). After that was the eye check-up followed by the immunization evaluation. My son passed everything because we had brought along his baby book which showed all his complete evacuations. My husband, however, needed two vaccinations, including chicken pox because he had no scars to prove he ever had it. After that, the papers were submitted to the USA desk and they waited again to be called.

Soon after, they had to undergo their physical examination and it’s standard procedure to be fully unclothed. My poor son was so modest, he kept covering his private parts. Normally, children under the age of 15 don’t need a chest x-ray but the doctor noticed all the asthma medicine in his baby book, she ordered one at an extra charge to us. It’s a relieve for parents to know they have a very nice baby x-ray room with toys and books. The technician sits your child on a stool and put a clear cocoon around them to keep them stil. Zap and its done.

For my husband – they made him undress, they spread his butt cheeks (very uncomfortable, my husband says) to check for hemmoroids and then they cupped his balls. Then they proceed to ask about your medical history, drug usage etc.

Next comes the lab test for blood. Urine tests are reserved for women, to check if they are pregnant. Then came the Xray. All this was done in 6 1/2 hours. They were asked to return the next day at 8:30AM for the vaccinations and results.

My husband paid in pesos (we’re saving our precious dollars) and it came to PhP9,500 for the two of them.


Day 2

They arrived at St. Lukes at 9Am and proceed to the 2nd floor. My son didn’t have anything more examined but he needed to be physically present to claim the results. Meanwhile, my husband got two shots, one in each arm. Then, they proceeded to wait the results for about two hours.

If you have kids, it’s nice to know there are lot of other children for them to play around. Of course, a lot were cranky because they got shots. Children who can’t write must give their thumb mark to sign for their papers.

Then they were instructed to bring the x-ray and vaccination records to the U.S. when we leave for school/employment purposes. The rest of the results are directly forwarded to the U.S. embassy for the interview. They were also asked to submit their passports which would be give to the U.S. Embassy and returned later on. They said the main purpose of the medical is for all immigrants to have complete vaccinations and health records before they enter the country. Well, aside from weeding out those with illegal drug usage and AIDS.

Now, more waiting until the main event....