ITOGON, Benguet – The town’s dialysis center has been slowly expanding its operation following the increase in the number of patients patronizing the free services offered by the facility, Mayor Bernard S. Waclin said Sunday.
Waclin, who was overwhelmingly given a fresh mandated by the voters to serve his second term as the municipal chief executive, said that the number of patients availing of the free dialysis treatment from the center increased to 48, a good indication that many dialysis patients want to be comfortable when undergoing the said treatment.
Previously, he claimed that there were only 36 to 40 patients who had been availing of the facility’s free dialysis treatment but the number slowly increased over the past several months.
On August 8, 2023, the Itogon dialysis center became fully operational following Mayor Waclin’s commitment that the municipal government should have its own treatment facility for bonafide residents so that they will not be burdened in availing of similar services from the already overcrowded health facilities in Baguio City.
However, Waclin pointed out that the dialysis center is still open even for individuals who are not residents of the municipality considering that there is still enough space and schedule for treatment in the facility.
The mayor said that there are two ambulances which were earlier donated by some companies doing business in the municipality which are on stand by in the dialysis center to fetch and ferry back to their homes the patients who are scheduled to undergo the treatment in the center.
The establishment of the Itogon dialysis center is one of the concrete examples of public-private partnership (PPP) because the municipal government shelled out a significant amount for the repair and upgrading of the structure while various private companies that are doing business in the locality donated ambulances and some of the beds and machines being used for the dialysis treatment of the patients.
According to him, the facility can cater to the dialysis treatment of some 72 patients that is why there is still enough room to accommodate more individuals wanting to avail of the free services offered by the center to maximize its potentials in providing quality health care services to the patients.
Waclin asserted the importance of providing people with quality basic services, such as health-related concerns, for them to remain productive citizens of the community who can contribute in spurring economic activities despite some issues affecting their health.
He expressed his sincerest gratitude to the people of Itogon for bestowing to him their trust and confidence by re-electing him as the municipal mayor for the second straight term and assured them that he will reciprocate such trust with genuine public service similar to what he had been doing in the past in various capacities as a public official. By Dexter A. See
