LA TRINIDAD, Benguet – Senator Joseph Victor Ejercito is pushing for the put up of more dialysis treatment centers in the different parts of the country to help reduce the impact of dialysis treatment to the financial, psychological and emotional stability of the family members of patients undergoing the treatment.
Ejercito, who chairs the Senate committee on health, said while he is supportive of the clamor for government to grant free dialysis treatment, there is a need for concerned health authorities and health insurance companies to study and evaluate its impact on the meagre government resources and the contributions of the members to the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation.
“We have just assumed our post as chairman of the Senate committee on health that is why we have to seek the suggestions and recommendations of experts on the matter so as not to compromise the delivery of other basic services to our people in the different parts of the country,” Ejercito stressed.
Earlier, the Baguio Correspondents and Broadcasters Club (BCBC) initiated a signature campaign calling on concerned government agencies to offer free dialysis treatment.
The senator pointed out one of the possible solutions to help patients and their family members reduce the costs of the dialysis treatment is to bring to the people the facilities through the establishment of provincial dialysis centers in the different government hospitals to unclog the lines in tertiary hospitals.
While the dialysis machines are expensive that could result in the depletion of the funds earmarked for the delivery of basic health services, he claimed reducing the cost of dialysis treatment by at least making available to people in the countryside such services could be considered as one stop-gap measure to reduce costs for patients and their families.
Senator Ejercito admitted Filipinos have a lot to improve in their diet to prevent them from acquiring renal problems, thus, the need for health authorities to constantly educate the public on proper eating habits and healthy lifestyle to spare them of renal diseases, among others.
He explained much is yet to be done to sustain the improved delivery of basic health services to the people in the countryside so health authorities are doing their best to stretch available budgets to cater to the health needs of the people.
By HENT
