Go seeks lower cost of liver transplant

MANILA, Philippines — Sen. Christopher “Bong” Go expressed the need to address the high cost of specialized medical procedures, such as liver transplants, in the country.

During a discussion he organized with key government officials and private healthcare practitioners on Wednesday, Go encouraged them to provide more trainings to healthcare professionals and improve coordination among concerned health agencies and private health institutions to address the issue.

At the meeting, issues such as unavailability of highly specialized medical equipment, lack of training for liver transplantation medical personnel and expensive medicines were identified as the main reasons contributing to the high cost of liver transplant procedures in the country.

This problem leaves affected patients with no choice but to obtain treatment in countries such as India, where it is cheaper to undergo medical procedures.

The meeting was attended by officials from various government agencies such as the Department of Health (DOH), Department of Foreign Affairs, the Presidential Management Staff, officers from different hospitals, including The Medical City Hospital, Makati Medical Center, Philippine Children’s Medical Center and the National Kidney and Transplant Institute; and officials of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce.

Go cited the cases of two babies with biliary atresia, Eren Arabella Crisologo and Dionifer Zephaniah Itao, who were brought to India for treatment through the help of President Duterte and the senator.

Biliary atresia is a rare condition where the bile duct is blocked, thus damaging the liver. Once the liver fails, a transplant is necessary. The disease only affects infants.

“The President and I helped bring babies Eren and Dionefer to India for surgery of their biliary atresia. Unfortunately, baby Eren suffered complications and did not survive the operation,” Go recounted during the meeting.

“If only we had the needed equipment in the Philippines, more well-trained specialists and operations that are cheaper, patients would have no need to seek medical help from other countries,” Go said, stressing the need for improved access to quality healthcare services in the country, especially for indigent patients. 

To address the problem of expensive liver transplant operation, Go seeks to retool and provide further trainings on liver transplantation to medical personnel in the country. For this, the senator called on government to invest in enhancing the capabilities of healthcare professionals as part of the efforts in improving the quality of the country’s healthcare services.

Go also expressed his desire to change the mindset of some patients about local doctors and the quality of liver transplant procedure in the country.

“We hope for patients to trust in the capabilities of our doctors. We want to tell them that they do not need to go abroad for a liver transplant. They should trust our local doctors,” he said.