A DIALYSIS center will soon be available at the Cebu Provincial Hospital in Balamban town as the Cebu Provincial Government is set to transfer its dialysis center from SM City Seaside.
“So, we will soon have a dialysis center at the provincial hospital in Balamban. And we intend to replicate that in other provincial hosipitals,” said Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia.
The governor had requested that the Province of Cebu be included in the DOH-Health Facilities Enhancement Program (HFEP) Hemodialysis Package to serve its renal patients amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
Her request was approved by the Department of Health (DOH), leading to the opening of the dialysis center at SM City Seaside on Aug. 14, 2020.
SM Prime Holdings Inc. offered a space for free within its premises for the installation of the DOH-HFEP hemodialysis units as part of its “public service endeavors during the pandemic” until Dec. 31 based on a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) it signed.
Under the MOA, the operation of the satellite dialysis center in SM Seaside as well as the deployment of the needed health personnel were taken care of by the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center (VSMMC).
It also shouldered the operational costs, water and power utilities, as well as other dues not shouldered by SM.
The Capitol, on the other hand, transferred the possession and allowed the use of the 10 DOH-HFEP hemodialysis units to VSMMC for the operation of the satellite hemodialysis center.
It maintained the ownership and accountability of the equipment, and shouldered the costs of corrective and preventive maintenance and repairs of the hemodialysis units in case of breakdown.
Putting up a dialysis center was an initiative of Garcia at the height of the pandemic so that the residents of the Province of Cebu would no longer go to Cebu City hospitals, where a high number of Covid-19 cases was recorded.
For 2021, Garcia said the Province has set aside a considerable amount for health services alongside continuous upgrades in hospital infrastructure and personnel.
“We are opening up positions for doctors and nurses, and we know that there are many who would wish to work with the government now because we offer higher compensation for our health workers,” she said.
The Capitol is also working closely with the DOH in upgrading the infrastructure, the governor added.
Garcia will upgrade the levels of Cebu’s provincial hospitals and identify other district hospitals that have potential for growth. (PR)