NKTI at 43: A living system of care
MANILA, Philippines — What makes a quality hospital? Is it the buildings it raises, the machines it acquires or the number of patients it serves? For the National Kidney and Transplant Institute (NKTI), the answer has always been clear.
True excellence is measured not in the number of infrastructural projects, but in the lives changed.
“About seventeen years ago, I had a 17-year-old patient who was born with just one kidney. Unfortunately, it had developed a tumor, and we had to remove it to save her life,” recalls NKTI Executive Director, Dr. Jose Dante Dator.
“This meant she had to go on dialysis, which carries real risks and a lower quality of life. Several months later, a kidney from a deceased organ donor became available. The transplant was a success, and today, she’s healthy, thriving and moving forward with a productive life.”
Stories like this have been at the heart of NKTI for decades.
As the institute celebrates its 43rd anniversary, it continues to be a beacon of hope and healing for countless Filipinos, delivering the right care, at the right time and in the right place.
Synapses of partnership
Sustaining this level of dedication would not be possible without strong collaboration across disciplines. NKTI actively fosters public-private partnerships (PPP) to advance the country’s healthcare system.
One result of this approach is the PET-CT scan, a vital cancer diagnostic tool that has long been a standard in developed countries but once unaffordable in the Philippines.
Through collaboration with a Korean-led company, NKTI established the first locally operated cyclotron-based PET-CT facility in a government hospital.
“It has now become a standard in cancer care, and through public–private partnerships, PhilHealth now covers it,” he says.
“In the past, this was unheard of. It truly reflects NKTI’s commitment to providing accessible and quality healthcare to Filipinos nationwide.”
NKTI’s experience with PPP began earlier with hemodialysis.
Rather than purchasing and maintaining costly machines, the Institute partnered with equipment providers who supplied and maintained the machines, while NKTI provided patients, facilities and medical staff.
By sharing responsibilities, NKTI directly enabled the expansion of dialysis services nationwide. At NKTI alone, 90,000 hemodialysis treatment sessions were recorded in 2025, demonstrating the program’s scale and impact.
The heart of healing
Every healing journey is supported by the Institute. Programs like the Human Organ Preservation Effort (HOPE) extend a vital helping hand by sourcing, preserving and transporting transplantable organs from deceased donors.
“There’s a saying: Don’t take your kidneys to heaven—we need them here. Many patients are waiting for a second chance at life. For them, organ transplantation isn’t just important; it’s life-changing,” adds Dr. Dator.
NKTI takes this responsibility seriously. The institute even has a team for donor organ retrieval equipped with special kidney transport equipment called Lifeport, ensuring kidneys reach their recipients in viable and well-preserved condition, traveling as far north as Nueva Ecija and as far south as Tacloban. This team is called HOPE (Human Organ Preservation Effort).
This is just one part of NKTI’s mission.
The goal is to go beyond dialysis and traditional transplants—whether from a living donor or a cadaver—by developing innovative solutions that give patients more options.
Dr. Sigrid Agcaoili, a urologist with expertise in tissue engineering, is helping chart a path toward artificial kidneys.
Her work reflects the Institute’s commitment to treatments that are not only advanced but also humane and compassionate.
“Tissue engineering is a method of creating functional human tissues or organs in the lab. The key idea is to use a scaffold, which acts like the framework of a house, and then ‘seed’ it with cells that will grow and form the organ,” explains Dr. Agcaoili.
“In this way, we are breaking the cycle of waiting for someone to die so others can live, and avoiding the need to give up a kidney only to potentially need one ourselves.”
Another step forward is NKTI’s laboratory automation, another PPP initiative, which delivers quicker results for faster diagnosis and timely intervention.
At 43, NKTI remains a dynamic healthcare system that is always innovating. Its legacy is clear as it moves forward: to restore hope and save lives.
Editor’s Note: This press release for National Kidney and Transplant Institute is not covered by Philstar.com's editorial guidelines.
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