Manila Dialysis Center Shines As Philippines’ ‘First Free Renal Treatment Facility’

On the occasion of World Kidney Day this March 10, Manila Mayor Joseph “Erap” Estrada’s pet project, the Manila Dialysis Center (MDC), shines as the Philippines’ first and only public medical facility providing complete free dialysis and other renal treatment services.

Estrada said, “Napakamahal po ng dialysis sa pribadong ospital. Kaya’t ang totoo niyan, mayroon tayong mga kababayan na sa halip na magpagamot, ay inaantay na lang na mangyari ang mangyayari dahil sa kamahalan ng dialysis. Kaya’t ginawa natin ang Manila Dialysis Center para mabigyan ng libreng serbisyo ang ating mga kababayang mahihirap na may sakit sa bato.”

“Dito, if you are a Manileño, you are sure of treatment services for free, and you are assured of succeeding sessions which are also free. That will be providing the patients with the treatment, and also the peace of mind for them and their families,” Mayor Estrada added.

World Kidney Day started in 2006 as a joint initiative of non-profit associations International Society of Nephrology (ISN) and International Federation of Kidney Foundations (IFKF) to serve as a global awareness campaign on the health and importance of our kidneys.

According to the Department of Health (DOH), kidney diseases remain a leading mortality cause for Filipinos. In their 2010 data, kidney diseases ranked ninth among the deadly diseases in the country. By 2014, kidney diseases became the 7th leading cause of death in the Philippines.

The Manila Dialysis Center, located in Gat Andres Bonifacio Memorial Medical Center (GABMMC) is the Philippine’s first-of-its kind treatment center that provides complete free dialysis treatments to all kidney patients residing in the City of Manila.

Dra. Regina Bagsic, Overall Coordinator for Manila’s public hospitals, said the MDC is unique from other dialysis facilities, noting that, “It is a free standing dialysis center. While all our other hospitals in Manila have dialysis machines for their admitted patients, MDC caters mostly to out-of-hospital patients. Hundreds of Manileños have already benefited from this project since it was inaugurated by Mayor Estrada in December 2014. We have rendered about 15,000 dialysis sessions for free. At a rate of about 2-3 dialysis sessions per patient, figure out how many patients that is.”

Dialysis treatments, including the cost of using the machines and medicines, cost around 4,000 pesos in private facilities, but these are all provided for free at the MDC.

Luz Garay, Chief Administrative Officer of the MDC, said the program is a product of a joint venture agreement between the Manila City government and the German firm B-Braun Avitum, Inc., through which the company provides the machines as well as the staff and nurses, while Manila is in charge of maintenance of the facility and provision of attending doctors.

She added, “As per Mayor Estrada’s program, this is entirely free. Fluids, dialyzers, oxygen, everything is for free.” Currently, the center has 24 machines running at 3 shifts, six days a week, and they expect to open the second phase of expansion in the months to come which will add 34 more machines to their facility.

Garay said they plan to acquire 100 dialysis machines, placed across their four-storey building, practically making MDC the biggest state-of-the-art dialysis center in the country. She proudly said about the program, “Even in the National Kidney and Transplant Institute, may bayad at mahal. And I think they’re happy with our program; the director and the administrator of the kidney center visited our dialysis center, because they want to pattern their system with ours.” (PNA) RMA/PR/EDS