4 hospitals to get dialysis center

CEBU, Philippines - The Cebu Provincial Health Office is planning to establish a PD (Peritoneal Dialysis) First Policy in four district hospitals of the province to provide less expensive treatment for patients with renal problems.

Rannie Gravador, non-communicable disease medical coordinator of the provincial health office, said the centers will be established in Carcar, Danao, Balamban, and Bogo.

She said they are expecting the centers to be established by the second quarter of this year. Gravador said they will start with Carcar because of its strategic location.

National Kidney and Transplant Institute Deputy director Dr. Romina Danguilan said that PD treatment is cheaper than the usual Hemodialysis (HD) treatment where it needs a dialysis machine or dialyzer to remove wastes from the blood.

According to Danguilan, the survival rate of a patient experiencing kidney failure under the PD is higher than HD.

Dialysis patients can make use of the Z-benefit package of the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) which was increased from P234,000 to P270,000 a year.

"For the same amount of benefit of Philhealth, you will be able to do more in PD almost 100% of the treatment compared to HD," Danguilan added.

The Z benefit package aims to increase financial risk protection for PhilHealth members, to increase the awareness among people at risk as well and enabling healthcare providers to capture them at the most early stage of the illness to ensure better survival.

Peritoneal Dialysis is a form of permanent treatment that can be done at home by a trained caregiver or even a family member without the use of a dialysis machine. — Maria Carmela Pasaol (FREEMAN)