Cebu City Hall to open 2 dialysis centers

THE Cebu City Government will put up two dialysis centers—one for people with kidney ailments who are also found positive for the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19), the other for patients who are not infected with the respiratory illness which first emerged in Wuhan, China in late 2019.

The City will receive 10 dialysis machines from the Department of Health through the assistance of Iloilo First District Rep. Janette Garin, according to Yvonne Cania, administrator of the Cebu City Medical Center (CCMC).

Mayor Edgardo Labella said five of the machines are for Covid-19 patients with kidney illness and these will be placed in the Cebu City Quarantine Center (CCQC).

The other five dialysis machines will be placed in SM Seaside City Cebu at the South Road Properties. These will be used by kidney patients who are not Covid-19 positive.

The move is seen as one measure to prevent individuals with kidney ailments from contracting Sars-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19, in hospitals that offer dialysis services.

Putting up additional dialysis centers will also unburden the hospitals that are already dealing with Covid-19 cases.

Cania said the CCMC medical team will run the dialysis center in the CCQC, while health personnel from the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center will operate the dialysis machines in SM Seaside City Cebu.

Cania said the dialysis centers will possibly be operational by Aug. 20.

She said they will try not to collect fees from patients who are Cebu City residents.