Medical Examination Day
I remember my medical exam at Saint Lukes (SLEC) was a pain in the butt. If you happen to hear the phrase ‘ hurry up and wait’, well, you’re in when doing the medical test.
I stayed in San Carlos Mansion, a few blocks away from SLEC and is a 5 minute walk from and to SLEC. I and 2 ladies (who are also processing their fiancee visa and whom became my friends) got up at 3 30am to prepare for our medical exam day.
Here are the things we prepared:
- 3pcs visa photo’s (put your name on the back of each photo’s)
- Passport (bring the original and photocopy the biographic page for 2 copies). The purpose of this is that, the original passport will not be given back by the SLEC staff because they are the one who will forward the passport as well as the medical result to US Embassy in Manila -for the interview. I needed the photocopies for my CFO seminar and as an identification.
- Appointment letter ( bring the appointment letter and have it photocopied also). The photocopy willbe collected by SLEC staff and they will verify it with the original. They will stamp the original to prove that the medical exam has been performed.
- Cost of the medical exam - $95.00 USD (for adults -15 years and older)
– $67.00 USD for children 14 years and below.
- Repeat X-rays costs $7.00 USD/per person.
*Note: Memorize your fiance’s biographic information and the manila case number as you will need these information to fill up the PDS (Patient Data Sheet). If you do not know how to fill it up or doubtful of what to answer, do not hesitate to ask the SLEC staff. They may not be that friendly but they will help you fill it correctly. Also DO NOT leave any question blank, if it is not applicable to you, write N/A or NONE to minimize (if not prevent) delays.
We arrived at SLEC around 4 30am and there were around 20+ people that are ahead of us; so it’s a pretty busy clinic huh?
The guard gave us a what they called “priority number” since there are hundreds of applicants that are taking/retaking tests each day; priority number was issued (maybe to ensure easy process). The guard also gave us a paper that contains a step by step guide. I find the guide very helpful hence there is a step by step PROCESS to follow. If you cannot fulfill step 2, you can’t proceed to step 3. SLEC is also a 4 story building, there are steps that you need to take on the 2nd floor; some are on the 3rd then back to 1st floor and etc. So by having the guide in hand; it’ll lessen the burden. And lastly, the PDS or Patient Data Sheet to fill out.
After filling up the PDS, we decided that it was too early to wait (SLEC opens at 5 30am and we still have a couple of minutes to burn) so we left our PDS to the guard ( they don’t allow applicants to bring it outside the premises) and went outside to eat because we are starving.
We went back to SLEC around 6am and viola, there were more than a hundred people who were already lining up outside the the building. It was a chaotic and VERY crowded. SLEC’s fron’t office pathway is too small to accommodate hundreds of people. Plus the fact that it’s located in an intersection and car’s, trike’s (tricycle), people and etc are passing by; it feels like you would want to hurry everthing.
We gave our priority number to the guard inside the building near registration booth (Yes there is a registration booth). Registration booth is used to register applicants to their machine, SLEC’s staff collected our PDS, a copy of the appointment letter and cued us for the picture taking. This is probably their kept copy of photo of applicant’s info.
So that was pretty much the process on how to start the medical test. If I’ll put it in a simple sentence; line up to get your priority number, submit the required docs on the registration booth, have your picture taken and start taking the tests.
The next steps were to get all the needed medical tests:
- x-ray,
- urine test,
- physical exam (get naked and lay on the table so the doctor can examine your butt..lol),
- get some vaccine,
- eye test and etc (if I’ll say etc, that means I forget the test but I know there is more and I’m just making an excuses
..kasi nakalimutan)
As I’ve said, SLEC is a 4 story building and each of the test are taken on different floors. Not to mention that there are also VISA applicants from Australia, Canada and other countries that are also processing their med test so it is a bit challenging; meresay a challenge on your patience.
We weren’t able to get all our test done, me and my friends (Michelle and Vanessa) were pretty much exhausted around 5 in the afternoon so we decided to finish taking the test the following day.
The next day we went to SLEC, it was easier; we finished taking our test and waited for our interview back in our hotel. By the way, after taking/clearing all the tests, we submitted some signed docs in an office located on the first floor and wait for another minutes or hours for the result . I tried asking the staff during that time if I did passed or failed but she told me, “we are not allowed to divulge the result, you will know it in the Embassy”. She also told me that my passport will be forwarded to the Embassy then handed me some papers ( I’m sorry I’ve completely forgotten what papers are those); it might be my receipt and some original docs..I don’t know .
So that was it, I was waiting for my interview with mixed emotion. Exhaustion, anxiety, excitement, joy…every emotion you can think of; is what I felt after I completed my med test. Here comes another day of waiting for interview and few days of waiting for the final verdict.
Anyway, here’s SLEC info; in case you’ll stumble on this article and would want to contact them:
Saint Luke’s Medical Center Extension Clinic Information:
Saint Luke’s Medical Center Extension Clinic
1177 J. Bocobo Street
Ermita, Manila
Contact Numbers: (2)-521-0020 or (2)-521-8647 or (2)-524-6083
Website: http://www.stluke.com.ph/
Just so you know, FEES and PROCESS may vary; I had mine in 2007 and if by chance you read this on the years to come; please consult the USCIS website or the US Manila Embassy website for the latest FEES or PROCESS.
last updated 1st of July 2009
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