THROUGH the efforts of Quezon City Rep. Marvin Rillo, the East Avenue Medical Center (EAMC) and Passion Healthcare Philippines Inc. (PHPI) have agreed to work together to guarantee the uninterrupted delivery of hemodialysis treatment services to underprivileged patients with chronic kidney disease.

EAMC chief Dr. Alfonso Nuñez III and PHPI president Eric Olay signed a memorandum of agreement (MOA) for the referral of hemodialysis patients in an event graced by Rillo.

Under the MOA, individuals referred by EAMC to PHPI for hemodialysis treatment would receive financial support from the government’s Medical Assistance for Indigent and Financially Incapacitated Patients Program.

“We want to assure disadvantaged patients convenient access to adequate and continuous hemodialysis treatment services during high demand,” Rillo said in a statement.

“We do not want patients in wheelchairs lining up for hours waiting for hemodialysis appointment slots to open up,” Rillo added.

Filipinos living with chronic kidney disease usually require hemodialysis treatment two to three times every week, with each session lasting for four hours.

Chronic kidney disease is among the leading cause of sickness and death in the Philippines.

EAMC based in Quezon City is one of the largest tertiary general hospitals under the Department of Health (DOH).

PHPI is a private healthcare provider catering to hemodialysis patients and accredited by the DOH and the state-run Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth).

Rillo has championed patient rights, including their right to receive sufficient healthcare.

The lawmaker previously launched free hemodialysis treatment services in Barangay U.P. Campus, Quezon City through a licensed facility.

AUTHOR PROFILE

Ryan Ponce Pacpaco