Senator Angara Files Bill For Free Dialysis Treatment To Poor Patients
Senator Sonny Angara filed a bill requiring all the government hospitals to provide free dialysis treatment for poor patients.
In line with the government’s efforts “to reform the health sector and provide Filipinos with comprehensive health services,” Senator Angara has created the Senate Bill 1329 or proposed Dialysis Center Act.
This bill aims to provide free dialysis treatment for poor patients suffering from kidney diseases, especially those who are living in the provinces who can’t afford the travel expenses to cities for medication.
“The optimum frequency of dialysis is three times a week, but because of its high cost and inaccessibility, some patients settle with less, thus causing their health to deteriorate more progressively,” said by Senator Angara quoted by GMA.
The senator also stresses out that some patients die without even undergoing treatments for they could not afford. He also explained that the Section 5 of the bill urges all nation, regional, and provincial hospitals under the government should provide free dialysis treatment to poor or indigent patients.
A certain patient can be considered as indigent. if the combined income of the whole family would not exceed P30, 000 per year.
Experts estimated that there are about 3.51 million Filipinos in 2015 were suffering from diabetes, one of the major causes for kidney ailments. Most diabetics were aging 20-79-year-old, according to Angara.
The Philippine Network for Organ Sharing of the Department of Health (DOH), released a data showing that almost 23, 000 patients in 2013 have undergone dialysis treatment due to kidney failure.
DOH did not include that numbers of the less fortunate patients, who were not able to undergo any dialysis treatment due to financial matters.
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