Lifelines - 'They are waiting for the patient to die'

When rabies reaches the stage when it can no longer be cured, patients become uncontrollable to the extent that in the San Lazaro Hospital in Manila, Philippines they have to be isolated.

Dr Ferdinand De Guzman, a spokesperson for the hospital, showed the Lifelines film crew around the rabies ward where patients spend their last days.

"As soon as a patient is admitted, here he is not going to come out alive," he said.

Dr De Guzman shared his experiences and some of the heartbreaking stories of young patients.

"In Filipino culture, if you have a rabies patient then the whole household comes with them ....They are waiting for the patient to die," he explains.

"I particularly remember two patients who died in this room. One of them was a 16-year-old student, he was so excited to study in Manila."

"Another patient which I remembered here was 20 years old. She was pregnant at that time ....When she died of course the baby died with her, because at that time no hospital would accept her and we didn't have an OB/GYN here. There is the stigma of the diseases again."

Lifelines: The Quest for Global Health will air on Al Jazeera in 2014.

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[lextavactchi]

Don’t make them suffer while dying, give them mercy and end it quickly.

[delaineymacphearson]

It is beyond my comprehension that people are left to suffer with this. A medically induced coma is the only humane thing to do.

[johngraham]

The fact they couldn't remove the unborn baby from the infected mother was too sad for me.

[blinkspacestudio]

I never understand why humans should go through this, if this was a pet or animal it would be put down. Why do humans have to suffer like this. Surely there should be some law to prevent suffering. Rabies is such a degrading death no human or animal should have to endure the full amount. Just end it.

[hindi_recap]

I believe Euthanasia should be legal for rabies in every country. People should not suffer because of these legal boundaries.

[sansebastian]

If my dog bite me then I'll bite him back so we'll just see each other in heaven

[connoroleary]

50, 000 people, mostly children die in absolute agony of Rabies every year.
While we busy ourselves with pronouns and statues.

[physhgyrlhengesbach]

I love his accent and he sounds so gentle. Good bedside manners

[rexellcrisostomo]

It sucks because it’s 100% preventable and 100% fatalities

[juliahadley]

They don’t want to see pictures of Jesus’s. They need to be sedated. Unconscious! The patient nor the family should have to suffer. I can’t believe these people are locked in a room while family has to wait for them to die. If you can’t get your act together and get rid of the rabid animals then at least keep the inflicted person and their families comfortable. sedation of the sick person. God I can’t stand for my child to have a hangnail. Watching and waiting for a loved one to die is bad enough. But in such a disturbing filled with suffering way is wrong. And I know your people are poor. But come on.

[UhsniusisWbiuhwbhubwhyib]

About the pregnant lady, her story is nothing but sad. She was around 19-20 when she was pregnant and was bitten by a dog and taken to a traditional healer, unfortunately she developed symptoms later during her pregnancy and she was taken to San Lazaro. She was taken into the children’s ward because of how young she was (which is outrageous) and apparently her husband was discussing remarrying while she was suffering and dying. Absolutely horrible

[flackyoue]

I love how they call them patients, they are not, they are the condemned.

[paupau]

one of the reason why I had a phobia from dogs

[captaintrips]

Sad that they have to have a rabies ward.

[ruphersonkiirii]

Rabies is a sickness that shouldn't have existed no goodbyes.

[joanbaczek]

If tge pregnant mom has rabies so does the baby by the time mom has the virus and it entered her nervous system cuz after that the virus focuses on going out ward to the whole body including the blood

[kishan]

I would prefer corona virus than get rabies.

[elizabethcoopersoutham]

thank you for this video- for every one to see how impoverished and neglected this public hospital while the rich of the philippines, specially the ones in politics splurge millions aggrandizing themselves while the rest of the country wallow in poverty, sickness, malnutrition, lack of proper housing, sanitation, education, etc...

[prowlandsasuke]

My thing is how are young children left alone long enough to be attacked by a rabid animal.

[JuneCarpenter]

I needed to stop watching this stuff. My anxiety went through the roof. I couldn't stop thinking that I have rabies or going to catch rabies. Does anyone else feel the sameway? I had a bad panic attack.