GENERAL SANTOS CITY — After several months of delay, the city government will start the full operations on Tuesday, April 3, of its PHP26 million dialysis center.
This, as the local government-run Dr. Jorge P. Royeca Hospital was formally granted by the Department of Health (DOH) the license to operate its Renal Care and Treatment Unit, which had been touted as among the most modern and complete dialysis centers in Mindanao.
Glenville Gonzales, assistant city administrator, said Monday the DOH issued the license following an inspection and assessment of the facility last month.
“The inspection team did not find any flaw on the center’s systems and equipment, and declared that it has passed the operational standards, he said.
Gonzales, who also is the chief hospital administrator, said the center will utilize 13 machines for Sustained Low Efficiency Dialysis or SLED renal replacement therapy.
He said they have assigned 11 units for the outpatients, one dedicated for infectious types of kidney disease and one reserved for admitted patients in cases of emergency.
“All of them have specifications that are at par with those being utilized by private institutions,” he said.
He said the dialysis center, which was initially unveiled in September last year, will be manned by doctors and nurses that were properly trained and experiencing in handling patients with kidney diseases and in the operationalization of the dialysis machines.
Gonzales at least 99 indigent patients from the city who are suffering from kidney failure or end-stage renal diseases have already enlisted for the facility’s services.
He said Mayor Ronnel Rivera had issued a directive to prioritize its services for the poor and needy residents of the city.
Except for the supplies, blood requirements and laboratory tests, indigent patients may avail of at least 90 free dialysis treatments at the dialysis center within the year.
The free treatment is equivalent to the hemodialysis coverage being provided by the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation, which had issued accreditation for the facility.
The agency had increased the package to 90 days from the previous 45 per year to cope with the needs of the growing number of patients who undergo dialysis treatment.
It adjusted the coverage from PHP4,500 to PHP2,500, which is considered the normal cost for hemodialysis treatment per session.
“Overall, the charges for services offered here are significantly lower compared to those of private facilities,” Gonzales added. (PNA)
