Cebu dad pushes bill creating  kidney center

CEBU, Philippines —  Cebu City South District Congressman Edu Rama has introduced a bill for the establishment of a kidney institute in Cebu.

House Bill No. 2768 seeks to provide material and financial support towards the establishment and maintenance of the facility in Cebu, which would also cater to patients in the other parts of the Visayas.

The bill is pending with the Committee on Health, which Rama hopes will be enacted into law under his present term.

If it materializes, the facility will be the first government-owned kidney facility outside Manila.

At present, the National Kidney and Transplant Institute is the only government-owned and controlled corporate tertiary specialty center for the referral of kidney patients from various regional hospitals in the country.

Established in 1981, the National Kidney Institute has made various historic achievements like the double transplant - kidney & pancreas (first in Asia, March 1988); Kidney - Liver transplant (first in Asia, September 1990); Bone Marrow Transplant (first in the Philippines, August 1990); ISO Certification (first Government Hospital in the Philippines, February 2003).

"This will be the first outside Manila and we are hoping that it will be realized during our term," said Rama.

In the Philippines, a hemodialysis session ranges from P2,000 to P7,000 per treatment, and patients need to undergo at least three sessions per week.

"While Cebu has one of the best health facilities available both in private and public in the country, not everyone can afford this weekly treatment nor can it be served by the existing facilities we have in our public hospitals in Cebu," Rama added.

The Cebu City South District representative aims that the Kidney Institute of Cebu will construct, establish, equip, maintain, administer and operate such integrated medical institutions or institutions that shall specialize in the prevention, diagnosis, treatment, care, rehabilitation, and/or relief of kidney disease and allied diseases.

"We are positive that we can get the support of both the House of Representatives and the Senate, as the president himself has called for the establishment of more specialized healthcare facilities outside of Metro Manila.  We must increase the accessibility of these specialized facilities to our constituents,” added Rama.

Under the proposed bill, an indigent package shall be formulated that will prioritize patients who are residents of Cebu. — GAN (FREEMAN)