Low-cost dialysis in QC soon

GOOD news for kidney patients who live in Quezon City.

The city health office will soon open dialysis centers in each of the city’s five districts so that residents who suffer from kidney problems can avail themselves of the treatment for free or at a minimal cost.

Each center will have dialysis equipment and x-ray machines just like the one at Toro Hills which provides affordable medical treatment to underprivileged renal patients.

City health office chief Dr. Antonieta Inumerable said that 10 dialysis machines, some donations from the United States, would be distributed to strategicallyplaced health centers that would soon be converted into dialysis centers.

Several nurses have been hired to serve at the centers, four of which will open in Ka- muning, Doña Nicasia, Novaliches and Escopa, she added.

The establishment of the dialysis centers, according to Inumerable, is part of the city government’s program to improve the delivery of health services to residents, particularly those who cannot afford the high cost of hospitalization and services like dialysis.

She said that initially, there was also a plan to offer chemotherapy at the centers although this was dropped due to concerns over hazardous waste and the need to hire doctors to oversee the procedure.

According to her, for indigent patients requiring dialysis two or three times a week, having at least two sessions free will be a big help.

Inumerable added that the service would also be made available to residents whose continuous dialysis treatments have taken a toll on their finances.