THE Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) raised the limit for free hemodialysis coverage from 90 to 144 sessions this year.
This was stressed by Bacolod City Lone District Representative Greg Gasataya Sunday, July 4, 2021, after PhilHealth issued its Circular No. 2021-0009 or the PhilHealth coverage for outpatient hemodialysis benefit package to a maximum of 144 sessions for the calendar year 2021.
“It’s good news to our dialysis patients who are members of PhilHealth, they can now avail 144 sessions until December 31, 2021,” he said.
As a vice-chairman of the House Committee on Appropriations, Gasataya asked the Department of Health (DOH) during the pre-budget briefing in 2020 to increase the free dialysis sessions for dialysis patients.
“Thank you very much to DOH and PhilHealth for hearing the needs of our people, especially for our dialysis patients,” Gasataya said.
In its Circular No. 2021-0009, it stated that Chronic Kidney Disease Stage 5 (CKD 5) is a fatal condition affecting millions of people worldwide. It is the seventh leading cause of death among Filipinos. According to the National Kidney and Transplant Institute (NKTI), one Filipino develops chronic renal failure every hour or about 120 Filipinos per million population every year.
The latest estimates show that around 2.3 million Filipinos have CKD. In 2016, more than 36,000 patients were on dialysis treatment which reflects a 15-percent increase in the number of patients in just one year.
CKD 5 can be treated with kidney transplantation or renal dialysis. While kidney transplant is a definitive treatment, the low levels of organ donation, lack of infrastructure, and high cost of transplantation are barriers to access.
Renal dialysis remains the most viable option for renal patients in the Philippines.
The Covid-19 pandemic continues to challenge the health system in the country and has led to devastating impacts on poverty and loss of human life. The cost of hemodialysis (HD) can be a financial barrier in accessing healthcare and can push the patients and their families to financial hardship.
Aware of the needs of its members, PhilHealth intends to increase the coverage of hemodialysis while balancing the available resources to fund this benefit.
The PhilHealth board of directors, through PhilHealth Board Resolution No. 2611 s. 2021, approved the payment of benefit claims for hemodialysis services up to a maximum of 144 sessions for calendar year 2021.
PhilHealth Circular aims to establish the guidelines on availing of PhilHealth Outpatient Hemodialysis Benefit Package to a maximum of 144 sessions for the calendar year 2021, it's Circular further stated.