Expand free dialysis program – Go

SEN. Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go on Sunday raised the need for the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) to expand the coverage of its free dialysis program to better help poor patients.

The senator issued the statement as PhilHealth bared its plan to increase coverage for hemodialysis from 90 sessions to 156.

“Last year, as chair[man] of the Senate Health Committee, we have successfully pushed for a special provision to use the additional P21 billion under the 2023 national budget for the improvement of various PhilHealth packages, including the expanded dialysis package that PhilHealth now implements,” he said.

Go cited a special provision under the PhilHealth budget for 2023 that indicates the use of the P21 billion to improve various programs under the Universal Health Care Act.

This includes the expansion of free dialysis coverage and mental health outpatient coverage, and the implementation of the comprehensive outpatient benefit package, including free medical checkup.

On February 15, PhilHealth announced that it aims to increase this year its coverage for outpatient hemodialysis to 156 sessions from 90 sessions.

“Recognizing the yearly ordeal of our dialysis patients, we will expand our coverage for outpatient hemodialysis from 90 to 156 sessions,” said PhilHealth President and Chief Executive Officer Emmanuel Ledesma Jr. in a press briefing.

PhilHealth previously increased coverage for outpatient hemodialysis from 90 to 144 sessions in 2021 and 2022.

Go earlier filed Senate Bill (SB) 190 which seeks to mandate PhilHealth to provide free dialysis to all its members.

SB 190 tasks PhilHealth, in consultation with the Health Technology Assessment Council, to develop a comprehensive dialysis benefit package that shall fully cover all costs of hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis treatments, sessions and procedures done in PhilHealth accredited-health facilities.

“I filed the proposed Free Dialysis Act cognizant of the need to institutionalize the provision of an expanded free dialysis package for all Filipinos,” Go said.

“My bill seeks to increase the guaranteed minimum number of dialysis sessions to be provided. Moreover, it also mandates PhilHealth to more stringently scrutinize claims for free dialysis to minimize, if not eradicate, bogus claims,” he said.