NKTI to reopen hemodialysis center after health scare

MANILA, Philippines - The outpatient hemodialysis center of the National Kidney and Transplant Institute (NKTI) will be partially open starting tomorrow after being closed last week due to a health scare, the Department of Health (DOH) said yesterday.

According to DOH Undersecretary Ted Herbosa, the operations at the center will resume gradually.

“They will open in phases for safety. A few machines first, then gradually expand to all 54 machines,” Herbosa noted.

Last Thursday, NKTI executive director Jose Dante Dator had announced that the center had to be temporarily shut down after many patients undergoing treatment experienced chills.

Dator added the closure was intended to ensure the patients’ safety while they are determining the cause of their chilling, which was seen as a warning sign for possible problems, such as bacterial infection and allergy.

However, people undergoing dialysis for the first time would sometimes experience chills because they are new to the process, he said.

Around 20 patients have been tested and the results are expected to be out next week.

Dator has assured that the machines and facility would undergo a through systems check before the center will resume operations.