A patient at the Perpetual Succour Hospital received a pleasant surprise from the nurses’ station as she was checking out.
Virginia Roble, a high school teacher in Mandaue, Cebu, broke her left arm and needed surgery at the aforementioned hospital. When it came to paying her hospital bills, Roble received a heartwarming surprise after her doctor, Dilbert Monicit, who turned out to be a former student of hers, waived his professional fee for the surgery.
In a handwritten note, Dr. Monicit legibly wrote that the professional fee for his services has been paid 22 years ago, noting that Roble is one of this favorite teachers.
As a way of thanking him, Roble posted the note on her Facebook account with the caption:
“Just checked out of Perpetual Succour Hospital. I got this note from the nurses’ station. Thank you for the early Christmas gift, Dr. Dilbert Monicit. Thank you for being there.”
“It really made me teary-eyed when I read it. I thought it was for my medication because it was on a prescription paper,” Roble added.
The note has since gone viral, mostly receiving praises for both the doctor and the teacher. Roble clearly made a very positive impact to receive such appreciative feedback from a former student.
Some netizens also pointed out how the story bears uncanny similarities to a Thai commercial released in 2013. In the commercial, a poor young boy is scolded for stealing medicines meant for his sick mother. A shop owner sees the boy and intervenes by paying for the medicine and giving the boy vegetable soup for his mother.
Thirty years later, the shop owner falls sick and his daughter has no means to pay for his bills. The doctor intervenes and pays for all the bills, revealing to the daughter that he was that young boy her father helped many years ago.