Medical Exam for a US Visa: Sputum Test Procedure

In Continuation of: Medical Exam at St Lukes Medical Center

For three consecutive days, my mother had to undergo a sputum test. She needs to expel phlegm which they would examine to see if she has an active tuberculosis.

For three days, we were at St. Lukes as early as 5:30 am. Before the test, my mom can’t eat or drink anything. She was also not allowed to wear lipstick. The sputum test was a quick process and for three days, my mother got a negative result.

But then the sputum would now be cultured so we have to wait for sixty (60 days). In case we got a call from them before the 60^th day, it means the culture had developed into something and my mother needs to start treatment right away.

I am so scared to receive a call from them because I read somewhere that in case my mother’s sputum proved to be positive, she would need to go to St Lukes everyday for 6 months just to get her medicine. That is every single day for 6 months! I first thought it was a joke but they were serious. 

In cases like this, it is best to prepare for the worst scenario. So my sister said that in case my mom’s sputum culture is positive, we will rent a place near St Lukes where my mother would live alone for 6 months. That would really make me sad!

Thankfully, two months passed and we got no call from St Lukes. Actually, I am the one who called them to ask about the sputum result and they said it was negative. To hear them say that my mother can come to St Lukes for the vaccines and the medical certificate made us all so happy.

My mother got the shots for the required vaccines and got the medical certificate. I had to call the US embassy call center to schedule another appointment for a visa interview. They also said that our medical exam and the visa will expire in less than 2 months so we need to act fast.

Fortunately, I was able to get a visa interview quickly. What happened at the US Visa Interview – to be continued.

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Medical Exam at St. Luke's Medical Center Extension Clinic for US Visa

In continuation of: Journey To a US Immigrant Visa

So we were all so glad to receive an email from the National Visa Center (NVC) that they are satisfied with the documents we submitted. Therefore, we are ready for the next step of visa processing which is the visa interview. However, one requirement in the visa interview is a clear medical exam.

I am not so nervous about it because at 70, my mother is strong and healthy. She doesn’t have any illness and is very cautious of what she eats.

The instruction was that we have to accomplish the medical exam before the scheduled visa interview. We don’t need to set an appointment; we just need to go to St. Luke's Medical Center Extension Clinic (SLMCEC).

So we went to SLMCEC two weeks before the scheduled interview. We were there at around 5 am as we were advised to come early to avoid long lines and for us to finish early. There are already many people waiting outside when we arrived. We had to wait before the guards would let us in which was around 6 am. To allow entry, we need to present the visa interview appointment letter; passport and I think 3 pictures of the required size. We also need to submit a photocopy of the requirements. Once inside, we were given a form to accomplish and we have to wait for our names to be called. There was a separate lane for the senior citizens and that is where we submitted our forms and docs. We first had to go to a screening process to see if my mother had complete requirements. One thing they check is passport validity. I think the person in that area is quite rude especially to old applicants.

Anyway after that, we need to pay the medical exam fee at the 4^th floor I guess. Sorry I forgot the exact floor but all throughout the medical exam, I think we were able to tour the whole building as there were designated floors for different medical procedures. After paying around Php 9,800, my mother had to undergo a physical exam. Everything went well I guess, then a complete blood count. The third step was a thorough physical exam which left my mother quite shocked because she really had to undress and bare it all. Then there is the x-ray.

I thought the medical exam would be finish in one day but we were asked to return the next day for the results and other instructions.

This time, we don’t need to be so early as our entry card indicates a time when the result would be available. I am expecting a clear medical exam so just imagine my disappointment when the nurse said that they saw something white or something blurred in my mothers x-ray. They are not sure if that was a result of my mom moving while the x-ray is being done or it can be a scar. To be sure, my mom needs to undergo a sputum test which will be done for three consecutive days. If the result of the sputum is positive, they will start to give treatment. If it is negative, we would need to wait for two months for the sputum culture result.

Because of this, the visa interview would not push through but we were advised not to call the embassy as they will be the one to inform them of the medical result.

It was devastating because my mother always had negative x-ray result. We were all sad but we can’t do anything but to comply and wait for the sputum test result.

As a consolation, my mother is not the only one who received this bad news. A lot of people were also required to undergo a sputum test and most are young and look really healthy. To be continued: Medical Exam US Visa: Sputum Test Procedure.

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