Bauko, Mountain Province – Kidney patients who are required to undergo the expensive dialysis treatment no longer need to go to Baguio City or La Trinidad, Benguet to avail of the services of a dialysis center following the full operation of a State-run dialysis center in a regional hospital here.
Dr. Eduardo B. Calpito, officer-in-charge of the Luis Hora Memorial Regional Hospital based in Abatan, said that the hospital’s dialysis center started operation early October last year with 10 dialysis treatment machines catering to the needs of some 72 patients.
However, he added that the center is already operating on its maximum level because it is now working on 3 shifts while the 4th shift is solely dedicated to emergency cases.
“We are now operating on our maximum capacity that is why we might not be able to accommodate the influx of more dialysis treatment patients wanting to avail of the services of our newly established center,” Calpito stressed.
The medical doctor said disclosed that he already made the appropriate request for the procurement to additional 5 dialysis machines from the health department which he expects to arrive anytime this year to allow the hospital to increase the number of dialysis patients undergoing the said treatment now available in the regional hospital.
From only 10 patients when the center started its operation late last year, Calpito claimed the sudden increase in the number of kidney patients seeking dialysis treatment is considered to be alarming, thus, the hospital, the local health authorities and the Congressman Maximo B. Dalog foundation, in coordination with the Manila-based National Kidney Training Institute (NKJTI) conducted a series of preventive neuropathy lectures to over 100 prospective kidney patients from the different municipalities apart from health workers, nurses from the Department of Education to teach them on how to prevent the worsening of kidney ailments that is one of the identified life-threatening illnesses in the country.
Calpito expressed optimism that kidney patients who were not previously accommodated for dialysis treatment in the center will understand the present situation that the facility already reached its maximum capability and that one of the initial remedies to the situation is for the immediate delivery of the requested additional dialysis treatment machines from the health department.
According to Calpito Kidney patients needing emergency dialysis treatment will be given the appropriate treatment by personnel of the center because of the allotted shift for extreme emergency cases before being referred to the nearest medical center having similar services.
Calpito reminded individuals to ensure the optimum protection of their kidneys by getting rid of salty, fatty and sweet foods aside from making sure that they drink water so that the toxins in their body will be washed away instead of being sotred that will eventually result to the development of kidney stones thereby resulting to the development of kidney illness in them.
He appealed for cooperation and understanding among the people in cases that some patients will not actually be accommodated in the center because of the limited dialysis treatment machines that are initially available although efforts are being done by the hospital administration to acquire more dialysis treatment machines so that patients will no longer be constrained to try their luck to the already overcrowded dialysis centers in Baguio and Benguet. By HENT
