A Woman's Go-To Hospital

WOMEN, LISTEN UP. When was the last time you've had a decent check-up here in Riyadh? Did you like your experience? Or are you one of those who question the reliability of the doctors here in Saudi Arabia? In my circle of friends, half of them are always dubious about their doctors here and would prefer to have themselves checked in the Phillippines. I've always wondered why, considering that facilities and medication look to be better and are more affordable here than they are back home. But through their stories, it seems to be that one of the major impediments to their satisfaction is the communication barrier. Then I thought wouldn't it be nice if we had the convenience of having Filipino doctors to consult with so that we can better understand our situation and be more confident about the healthcare service we are receiving?

As a woman, it's important for us to have regular check-ups as we can be prone to some reproductive issues that we're not aware about. And here in Saudi Arabia, that can be a little tricky considering the customs and taboos in talking about women's health. Also, I've heard it's quite difficult to secure a dependable OB/GYNE specialist around here but it looks like we need not to look any further. 

I eventually learned that the Dr. Ahmed Abanamy Hospital, located along Exit 9 (click here for the location map) employs several certified OB/GYNEs and most of them are Filipina doctors! (7 out of 13! We're so proud!). One of them in particular is Dr. Oliza I. Anigan, who invited us for a tour of their hospital. She is one of the specialists in the OB/GYNE department and we were treated to a very "pink" tour of the maternity wards and OB/GYNE clinics. 

The Dr. Ahmed Abanamy Hospital is a private, general hospital consisting of 24 medical departments (from Dental, Dermatology, ENT, Internal Medicine, Pediatrics and many more). They have a 150-bed capacity and an additional 40 beds for any critical condition patients. Our visit there a couple of months back though, remained focused on their OB/GYNE department. What can we say, we were drawn to these pink-laden floors! ;) 

The reception at the Maternity Ward

Here's one of the rooms in the maternity ward. They are clean, spacious and is filled with the necessary equipment for patient care. 

In the NICU area, they have a standard nursery where the newborns can be taken care of. Don't worry, we entered the premises with the proper precautionary attire and we were lucky to see one of the babies being attended to by the nurses.

Welcome to the world, little one!

We also got to see their operating rooms and saw where women gave birth. And while none of The Pink Tarha ladies are moms at the time of writing, we were given a good scare of what's to come in case we do give birth to little nuggets anytime soon. :P (Are we ready, gehls? LOL)

Area for a physical exam.

Instruments and supplies neatly arranged.

It's all about proper labeling. 

We then proceeded to the clinic area where the consultations were done and found their premises quite organized and very pink! :) 

For the ultrasound

We also met the lovely staff of the OB/GYNE Department who were more than willing to accommodate us in the middle of their busy schedule. Here are the women doctors whom you can trust with your reproductive health:

The very capable staff of the OB-Gyne Department

Dr. Norma Salvacion Fegidero Calicdan, OB-GYNE

Dr. Allyn D. Abuy, OB-GYNE

Dr. Oliza I. Anigan, OB-GYNE

Personally, I have not visited any OB/GYNE here in Riyadh and would always wait til I get home to the Philippines to have my regular check-ups because I too, share the doubts most women here have about seeing a non-Filipino doctor, especially in terms of OB/GYNE. But after meeting these women of Abanamy Hospital, I'm very happy to know that I have some friendly (and credible) faces to turn to in case of any "female emergency." To the expecting moms, they also have OB/GYNE Packages with respective rates available here.

Interested in making an appointment? Here are the contact details of Dr. Ahmed Abanamy Hospital:

T: 011-240-7778

F: 011-240-2199

Website: http://www.abanamyhospital.com/index.php

Location Map:

Ladies, I know that it's somewhat challenging for us to tackle our reproductive health...and I am sure that more than half of us don't even get checked regularly or are just simply anxious about how to go about it, especially here in Saudi Arabia. We here in The Pink Tarha hope that you will find some comfort in knowing that this service is available here and that we have fellow kabayans who can and will treat us just as we would be treated back at home. 

Let's take care of ourselves okay? Cheers!

xoxo,

-Eyecandy