MANILA, Philippines — Due to lack of organ donors, health experts yesterday reported that thousands of kidney patients are deprived of the best medical treatment option and a chance to lead normal lives.
Romina Danguilan, member of the National Kidney Transplant Institute (NKTI) team, said as many as 80 percent of Filipinos undergoing dialysis are medically suitable to undergo kidney transplant.
Danguilan said an average of 500 kidney transplants are performed annually but the figure only comprised a small percentage of the 35,000 patients undergoing dialysis.
“The number of patients undergoing dialysis has been increasing yearly but the number of kidney transplantation remained dismally low. This trend must change,” Danguilan said.
She explained that based on studies, kidney transplant is the best treatment option for those suffering from end stage renal failure because it can provide a better quality of life.
Compared to kidney dialysis, Danguilan said a transplant has a higher survival rate and is cheaper in the long run.
Kidney transplant costs some P600,000 while kidney dialysis costs P400,000 annually when done three times a week.
“Upfront kidney transplant may appear costly, but in two years, the patient undergoing dialysis will spend more than that,” Danguilan pointed
She also stressed that patients undergoing dialysis remain weak because the procedure cannot replace the function of their kidney, unlike organ transplant.
“The best thing is that they can go back to normal life after transplant and they can even undergo the operation without paying anything because PhilHealth (Philippine Heath Insurance Corp.) extends P600,000 package for kidney transplant patients,” she explained.
NKTI, she said, informs all those undergoing dialysis that kidney transplant is a better treatment option.
Based on NKTI records, there were 316 kidney transplants performed in 2018 with 98 percent of the organ coming from living donors or relatives of the patients.
Transplant psychiatrist Reynaldo Lesaca said socio-culture and religious beliefs of Filipinos make it difficult to find deceased donors.
Doctors said kidney, liver, lungs and heart can be harvested from deceased donors or those declared brain dead. Cornea and tissues can be obtained from those who have been dead for a few hours.
Former health secretary Enrique Ona said there have been programs promoting organ donation for the past 50 years but it was hampered by the organ selling controversy in 2007.
He said laws have been enacted to prevent organ trafficking. However, they were too strict and must be revisited, Ona noted.
Organ donors mostly come from the poor sector and yet Ona said they cannot be given token of gratitude for it could be perceived as compensation, which is prohibited under the law.