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| Facade of RITM |
The following day, I was prodded by Maita to take anti-rabies shots. I hesitated to return to this medical clinic in Alabang, wherin each shot cost Ps 1,800 exclusive of the Ps 400 doctor's consultation fee. My daugher Mira last May had her shots there, all five of them, after her skin was grazed by one of our foundling dogs--Pinot--while it was playing.
I was told by a doctor friend to go to RITM or the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine in Alabang. The place was just a few minutes away by car from Alabang-Zapote Road. I drove past the greeneries of Filinvest City and into the perimeter close to the Skyway exit where I found RITM tucked behind big trees.
When I went to the reception area, I was instructed to go the consultation room for a Triage-- the process of determining the severity of one's possible exposure to the rabies virus. At the Triage room, the attending doctor asked about our cat, and I showed him my scratch, which was on my torso just below my right ribs. The doctor informed me that patients for anti-rabies shots are classified under 3 categories.
- Category One: Prophylaxis for those individuals at risk of getting bitten or scratched by animals that can potentially carry the rabies virus: cats and dogs. Number of anti-rabies shots required: 3
- Category Two: For individuals who were scratched or whose skin was grazed by animals that can potentially transmit the rabies virus. Number of anti-rabies shots required: 4
- Category Three: For individuals who were bitten, or worse, mangled by animals suspected to be carrying the rabies virus-- specifically those stray animals roaming the streets. Number of anti-rabies shots required: 5
My case was classified as Category Two. I had to get a total of 4 shots, intervals of which are: Day 1: during consultation itself. Day 3, Day 7 and Day 30. That meant I had to return to RITM for three times after my first consultation.
I was only charged Ps 50 per consultation. I was told by one of the doctors that the vaccines were provided for free by government, a benefit started during Nonoy Aquino's term.
Now before this becomes a rabid political discussion-- pun intended-- let me state that the medical services at RITM Alabang were definitely value-for-money. It was all worth those trips. I would have paid about Ps 8,800 for the same series of shots someplace else.
To learn more about RITM, please visit its official webpage.
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P.S. Here is LT, the culprit behind my 4 anti-rabies shots.
