Online doctor, the Philippines
See an Online Doctor in the Philippines By video, from any island.
See an online doctor in the Philippines: a licensed, English-speaking doctor by video while you are travelling, working or living in the Philippines, wherever on the map you happen to be that week.
FCDO puts the local problem plainly: many places, including some tourist destinations, do not have easy access to emergency medical care. Distance is the obstacle here, not language.
- €40
- per consultation
- No insurance
- or local registration needed
Licensed doctors, in English, wherever you are in the Philippines.
Medical Advice Without a Boat, a Flight or a Bad Road
The Philippines is more than seven thousand islands, and a trip here usually means several of them. That is the appeal, and it is also why a straightforward medical question gets complicated: the nearest doctor may be a ferry, a tricycle ride and a morning away, and the good hospitals are in the cities you are trying to leave.
With Pomodoc you can speak directly with an English-speaking doctor from wherever you are staying. Talk through your symptoms, ask what you are actually dealing with, and find out whether this needs someone in the room before you commit half a day of your trip to finding one.
- Consult securely by video, from any island
- Avoid unnecessary travel and waiting rooms
- Get clear guidance about your symptoms and treatment
- Talk to a licensed, English-speaking doctor
Local Clinic, City Hospital, or Video First?
Care here is genuinely good where it is concentrated, and thin where it is not. Which of those you are in changes what you should do first.
What is available around you
- private hospitals and clinics in Manila, Cebu and the other main cities, used to international patients
- rural health units and small clinics in the provinces and on the smaller islands
- local pharmacies, for the over-the-counter remedies a doctor may suggest
- 911 for an ambulance, which is the number FCDO gives for a medical emergency
FCDO's caution is about the gap between those first two lines: the availability of medical care varies across the Philippines and may not meet UK standards, particularly in rural and remote areas, and many places including some tourist destinations do not have easy access to emergency medical care.
What a video consultation adds
- an assessment tonight, rather than after a boat in the morning
- a clear answer on whether this needs in-person care at all
- help deciding whether to move island or city for treatment, which is the real decision here
- a second opinion on advice you have already been given locally
- a doctor for the ordinary things a trip produces: stomach upsets, skin, ears, coughs
Pomodoc connects you with an English-speaking doctor by video, licensed to treat you in the Philippines, for €40 per consultation. Fixed price, no surprises.
If you need examining, you need examining, and a consultation will tell you that rather than talk you out of it. On an island, knowing early is worth more than it is anywhere else.
Your consultation runs on Air Doctor's ISO‑certified platform (ISO/IEC 27001 & ISO 27799 for health data). See our security & certifications.
How It Works
An online consultation by video, in three simple steps
Start online
Tell us that you are in the Philippines and what is going on. It is a short form, not an appointment request.
Join by video
See your English-speaking doctor using your phone, tablet or computer.
Get clear guidance
Discuss your symptoms and receive advice about your next steps.
Why Use a Video Doctor?
Distance stops being the deciding factor
The question becomes what is wrong with you rather than how far the nearest clinic is and whether the last boat has gone.
Get help without leaving your accommodation
Attend from your hotel, hostel, resort, liveaboard or apartment, on the island you are already on.
Know whether you need to move
The expensive decision here is not the consultation, it is whether to travel to a city for treatment. That is worth talking through with a doctor first.
One fixed price, no local registration
€40 per consultation, with no insurance and no local paperwork needed before you can be seen.
Travellers who needed a doctor abroad
I was very happy to find this service
I was very happy to find this service! I was able to get a video visit with a physician promptly and get care.
Excellent doctor
Excellent doctor, very professional and friendly and speaks excellent english
Reliable and efficient
Reliable and efficient, able to provide medical support while you're away from home.
Reviews of Air Doctor, our medical partner, published on Trustpilot.
More About Seeing a Doctor in the Philippines
English is not the problem here, and that is worth saying
English is an official language of the Philippines and is widely spoken, including in healthcare. If you have used a page like this for France or Portugal, the language argument that carries those pages does not carry this one, and pretending otherwise would be selling you something you already have.
What a consultation gives you here is access and speed: a doctor now, from where you are, without the travel. English matters on this page only as a plain fact about the doctor you will meet, not as the reason to book.
The gap FCDO actually names
FCDO states that the availability of medical care varies across the Philippines and may not meet the standards of care in the UK, particularly in rural and remote areas, and that many places, including some tourist destinations, do not have easy access to emergency medical care.
Read that as a geography rather than a warning about the country. Manila and Cebu have hospitals that treat international patients routinely. El Nido, Siargao, Coron and much of the provinces do not, and a trip that moves between the two moves between two different medical situations without telling you.
Animal bites are the hard stop
NaTHNaC reports that rabies is a risk in the Philippines and has been reported in domestic animals, and advises travellers to avoid contact with all animals. Its instruction after a possible exposure is specific: wounds should be thoroughly cleansed and an urgent local medical assessment sought, even if the wound appears trivial.
Nothing about that is a video consultation, and this page will not pretend otherwise. Street dogs, resort cats, macaques at a viewpoint: a bite, a scratch or a lick on broken skin all count, and the assessment is in person and it is urgent. NaTHNaC has also issued advisories about falsified rabies vaccine products circulating in the Philippines, which is a reason to go to a reputable hospital rather than the nearest clinic.
Dengue, and why the rainy season matters
FCDO lists dengue among the mosquito-borne risks in the Philippines and states that the risk is year-round but heightened during the rainy season from June to October. NaTHNaC advises travellers to avoid mosquito bites, particularly during daytime hours, which is the part people get wrong: the mosquito that carries dengue bites in daylight, so an evening repellent routine is not enough.
A fever in a dengue-risk country is a reason to speak to a doctor rather than to wait it out, and it is a good use of a consultation because most of the assessment is history and symptoms. Severe illness is a hospital matter, and a doctor will say so.
Good things to know.
Can I see a doctor in the Philippines as a visitor?
Yes. Private hospitals and clinics in Manila, Cebu and the other main cities treat international patients routinely, and English is widely spoken. FCDO's caution is about geography rather than quality: care varies across the country and may not meet UK standards in rural and remote areas, and many places including some tourist destinations do not have easy access to emergency medical care. Pomodoc connects you with an English-speaking doctor by video, licensed to treat you in the Philippines, for €40 per consultation.
Can I have an online consultation with a doctor in the Philippines?
Yes. A Pomodoc online consultation is a video call, a form of telehealth: you speak with a doctor licensed to treat you in the Philippines, in English, from your phone, tablet or computer, for a fixed €40. It suits non-emergency concerns where the decision rests on what you can describe and show on camera. If your symptoms need an examination, a swab or a test, the doctor will tell you so, and where to go.
I am on a small island. Is a video consultation actually useful?
This is the situation it suits best. The decision that costs you something here is not whether to see a doctor, it is whether to spend a day travelling to a city for one. A consultation can often settle that from where you are, and if the answer is that you do need to be seen in person, you will have been told so before you booked the boat rather than after.
A dog or a monkey bit me. Can a video doctor deal with it?
No, and this is the clearest no on the page. NaTHNaC reports rabies in domestic animals in the Philippines and says that after a possible exposure, wounds should be thoroughly cleansed and an urgent local medical assessment sought even if the wound appears trivial. Go in person, go now, and go to a reputable hospital: NaTHNaC has issued advisories about falsified rabies vaccine products circulating in the country.
I have a fever. Should I be worried about dengue?
It is worth taking seriously. FCDO says dengue risk in the Philippines is year-round but heightened during the rainy season from June to October, and NaTHNaC advises avoiding mosquito bites particularly during daytime hours. A consultation is a reasonable first step because most of the assessment is your history and symptoms. Severe illness needs a hospital, and a doctor will tell you if that is where you are.
Do I need insurance or local registration to use this?
No insurance and no local registration are needed for a Pomodoc consultation, and the price is €40 whichever country you are in. That is separate from travel insurance, which FCDO advises you to hold for the Philippines with accessible funds for treatment and repatriation. A consultation is not insurance and does not cover in-person or hospital care.
Can a doctor prescribe for me in the Philippines by video?
A doctor may issue a prescription when it is clinically appropriate and local rules permit. It is not guaranteed, and some medicines cannot be prescribed remotely at all. Medication you buy at a pharmacy is not included in the €40.
Sources
- Philippines travel advice: HealthForeign, Commonwealth and Development Office911 for an ambulance; that FCDO publishes a list of medical providers where some staff will speak English; that the availability of medical care varies across the Philippines and may not meet UK standards particularly in rural and remote areas; that many places including some tourist destinations do not have easy access to emergency medical care; that private hospital treatment and medical transport are expensive; the advice to hold adequate travel health insurance with accessible funds for treatment and repatriation and to contact the insurer quickly if referred to a medical facility; and that dengue risk is year-round but heightened during the rainy season from June to October.
- Philippines: country informationNaTHNaC (TravelHealthPro)That rabies is considered a risk and has been reported in domestic animals in the Philippines; that travellers should avoid contact with all animals; that following a possible exposure wounds should be thoroughly cleansed and an urgent local medical assessment sought even if the wound appears trivial; that there is a risk of dengue and travellers should avoid mosquito bites particularly during daytime hours; and the advisories about falsified rabies vaccine products in circulation in the Philippines.
Sources last checked: . General information, not a diagnosis.
Need an Online Doctor in the Philippines?
Speak to an English-speaking doctor by video and get guidance from whichever island you are on.
- €40, fixed price
- Licensed in the Philippines
- English-speaking doctors
- Prescriptions where available
Video consultations are for suitable non-emergency medical concerns. In a life-threatening emergency in the Philippines, call 911 and ask for an ambulance, or go to the nearest emergency department. An animal bite or scratch, and any illness after diving, need urgent in-person assessment rather than a video consultation. This page is general information, not medical advice about your own situation.