PH starts construction of its biggest dialysis facility

SPECIALTY HOSPITAL Pedestrians walk past the National Kidney and Transplant Institute in Quezon City in this file photo. FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines — The government has started the construction of the biggest dialysis facility in the country.

House Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez on Wednesday led the groundbreaking for the Mega Hemodialysis Legacy Building, a 13-story facility at the National Kidney and Transplant Institute (NKTI) in Quezon City.

Thousands of patients seeking dialysis will be assisted once the new facility is finished, Romualdez said during his speech after the groundbreaking.

“We are not just building an edifice. We are laying the foundation for hope, modern healthcare, and better quality of life for millions of Filipinos suffering from kidney ailments. Each dialysis machine that will be used here is equivalent to a life that can be saved, a family that will have hope, and dreams that can be fulfilled,” he said in Filipino.

“This project will have a big effect on the lives of ordinary Filipinos. They don’t have to travel far or spend a lot of money to get treatment. Here, they will have access to modern facilities and quality services to alleviate their illness,” he added.

Romualdez also said the Mega Hemodialysis Legacy Building is part of the Legacy Specialty Hospital Project of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

“The Hemodialysis Legacy Building is proof that President Marcos’ mission to provide quality health services to each Filipino continues,” he said in Filipino.

“We will also have training facilities that will teach and strengthen our healthcare professionals, especially those in the provinces,” he added.

According to data from the NKTI in 2022, at least one Filipino develops chronic kidney disease (CKD) every 40 minutes, or 36 Filipinos getting renal disease per day.

All in all, CKD patients in the Philippines numbered more than seven million in 2021.

READ: Chronic kidney disease: 1 Filipino develops it every 40 minutes

Kidney specialists in the country are pushing for intensified early screening and prevention initiatives against CKD, following an increase in the number of dialysis patients in the Philippines.

READ: Kidney specialists aim to curb PH’s number of dialysis patients

House Committee on Appropriations Chairperson and Ako Bicol party-list Rep. Elizaldy Co, who was also present during the groundbreaking, said the new facility is a “huge blessing” for Filipinos.

According to Co, many Filipinos have been seeking assistance from lawmakers for their kidney ailments.

“In fact, on the People’s Day of Ako Bicol Party-List held every Monday at the north gate of the Batasang Pambansa, over half of those asking for assistance, or roughly 65 percent, have kidney problems and need dialysis,” he said in Filipino.

House Deputy Majority Leader Janette Garin, Quezon City Vice Mayor Gian Carlo Sotto, Public Works Secretary Manuel Bonoan, and Department of Health and NKTI officials also attended the groundbreaking ceremony.

On Tuesday, Romualdez also attended the groundbreaking for the Governor Benjamin Romualdez Cancer Center at the Ospital ng Maynila. The five-story facility was named after his father, who also suffered from cancer.

The cancer center will be a 38-bed capacity building, which will be equipped with Linear Accelerators, Spect Gamma Cameras with Treadmill Machine, and computed tomography scanner.

In early June, Romualdez and Co attended the groundbreaking for the 20-story Bicol Regional Hospital and Medical Center in Legazpi City, Albay.  According to the House officials, the Legacy Hospitals Project would address the shortage of properly equipped hospitals in the countryside.