St. Luke’s Medical Center easily comes to mind if you are looking for a world-class and top-quality medical treatment facility in Metro Manila (or the entire Philippines). It’s a name that many generations of Filipinos have come to rely on when it comes to their health and well-being.

Both our babies were born at St. Luke’s Medical Center in Bonifacio Global City (BGC) in Taguig City. Like many other new parents, St. Luke's was the hospital that we trusted for the safe and healthy delivery of our children.

Furthermore, it was also more convenient for us because our ob-gyn is based in St. Luke’s Medical Center (she has clinics in both the Quezon City and BGC locations). As such, all our check-ups and consultations were done at either of these hospitals.

When we were finally admitted, our experience at St. Luke’s Medical Center has been generally smooth.

One issue though that we had to contend with was the quite long time before we were transferred from the OB-complex to the regular room, which happened during both times that Khris gave birth at St. Luke’s. Other than that, we were mostly without headaches.

The room

For our firstborn, we were billeted at a semi-private room that came with the delivery package that we availed of. It was a big room, in fact, good for two, and was all to ourselves for the entire duration of our stay at the hospital.

One of the nurses told us that to ensure the comfort of patients in semi-private rooms, they would be booked in such a way that there is only one occupant per room until all of the rooms have been filled. Only then will the nurses begin to put another patient in the occupied rooms.

Most of the time, the semi-private rooms hardly get filled, so it would seem like the patients are using a private room.

For our second baby though, we decided to get the smallest private room because we realized that it was not too expensive at around P2000++ per night after all. We wanted to try it and also to ensure maximum comfort during our stay.

By the way, the semi-private room did not have a provision for a companion’s bed so I slept on the floor (I was a bit scared of sleeping in the other bed because, well, I thought there might be ghosts around). The private room had a small sofa bed which was comfortable enough to sleep on, as well as cable TV to keep us entertained.

All rooms had a personal refrigerator and a bathroom fitted with a shower and toilet. Bath amenities and tissue paper rolls are complimentary and regularly replenished.

I can think of many reasons to love St. Luke's but here are our top three:

First, and above anything else, we loved our obstetrician at St. Luke’s Medical Center. She is Dr. Maria Asuncion “Jing” Fernandez, who had been nothing but caring, helpful, patient, supportive, and encouraging of us throughout our fertility journey.

We liked how soothing she is to talk to, which helped us a lot, especially during the time when we felt like our hope was getting weak.

When we were at the hospital, she would check on us no matter how late it was. She would talk to us, give recommendations, and check on our baby. I still remember our last conversation with her, which was about hypertension. I hope we can visit her someday after the pandemic.

There’s no question that St. Luke’s Medical Center's facilities are of superior quality. They are state-of-the-art, definitely giving assurance to patients that they are getting some of the best medical services in the country (or possibly even beyond).

I could not help but compare it to a hospital near our home in Quezon City. I would not call that particular neighborhood hospital cheap because the services are quite expensive but the state of the building itself and the facilities are dismal – the hallways are dark, the floors are grimy, and the facilities look like they have seen better days. I realized that, indeed, you pay for quality.

At St. Luke’s Medical Center in BGC, visitors are welcomed by a spacious and well-lit lobby and the overall well-maintained state of the hospital.

The delivery room looks modern and equipped with advanced medical equipment. Again, the overall excellent condition of the room gives the affirmation and the peace of mind to patients that they, as well as their babies, will be alright and well-taken care of.

What we also liked here was that the rooms were cleaned and sanitized regularly, the floors were kept shiny and unblemished, the beddings and pillows were clean and white, and the bathroom was maintained spotless.

Most of the nurses that we encountered t St. Luke’s Medical Center were very friendly and helpful. They would gladly assist us with feeding and bathing our baby.

It was a nurse who taught me how to pick up, how to carry, and how to bathe a baby. They assisted Khris on how to properly breastfeed a baby. They would also patiently answer our questions even if it was late at night or early in the morning.

If you are staying at St. Luke’s Medical Center and thinking of where to eat, you can check out the rows of restaurants on the ground floor and at the mezzanine. Our favorites here were Plan B Café and Café Mary Grace.

For more choices, head over to the cafeteria on the fifth floor. There are rice meals, sandwiches, pasta, and desserts. I used to buy rice meals here.

What’s funny though was that the menu had not changed since our first baby was born. It was the same when our second baby was born but I’m not complaining because the food was good.

If you want fast food and other inexpensive options, there are many restaurants around the hospital.

On the other hand, we loved eating Sweet Tomato Grill at St. Luke’s Medical Center in Quezon City. We liked to try the various noodle dishes and pair them with our favorite lechon kawali and gambas. After our meal, we would have coffee and dessert. That was our routine and it was one of our best memories at St. Luke’s Quezon City.

Location and contact numbers

St. Luke’s Medical Center is located at the following addresses:

St. Luke's Medical Center - Quezon City

279 E Rodriguez Sr. Ave. Quezon City, 1112

Telephone number: 8-723-0101

St. Luke's Medical Center - Global City

Rizal Drive cor. 32nd St. and 5th Ave., Taguig, 1634

Telephone number: 8-789-7700

St. Luke's Medical Center Extension Clinic

1177 J. Bocobo Street, Ermita, Manila

Telephone numbers: 8-521-0020 / 8-521-8674

St. Luke’s Medical Center is a first-rate hospital offering one of the most excellent medical services in the Philippines. It’s definitely expensive but you get your money’s worth because you are assured of the best attention and care. Do not worry though because they accept SSS, Philhealth, and other medical insurance services.

Then again, healthcare in the Philippines is not cheap. You would always need a significant sum of money when undergoing treatment. In the end, it’s up to you where you want to avail of it.