Dialysis center marks 1st year
SAN CARLOS CITY -- On its first year, the Mayor Julian V. Resuello Dialysis Center now attends to more than 90 regular patients needing dialysis management from only five when it commenced operations.
The dialysis center is one of the new facilities constructed at the Pangasinan Provincial Hospital under the administration of Governor Amado Espino Jr.
Last July 28, a simple program was held outside the center to celebrate its first year anniversary.
Long before he was elected last 2007, Espino said he and then city mayor Julian Resuello has agreed to construct a dialysis center to cater to patients who could not afford the fees at private hospitals.
"I'm happy that this was realized as one of our concerns is the health care for our constituents," Espino stated.
Meanwhile, Dr. Jackson Soriano said there is no doubt about the efficiency of the nurses thereat and the quality of service being rendered by the center.
"These patients are not referrals, meaning the center is the choice of the patients. We are not competing with dialysis centers owned by private hospitals," he said.
"We are complementing their services as dialysis management is not short term. We offer affordable fees. Ang objective ay para matulungan ang mga pasiente na hindi kaya yong fees sa private hospitals," he explained.
Soriano stressed that anybody is welcome in the center. "But it will be a great help to them if they are PhilHealth insurance members as they can save a lot."
Sergio Saura, a regular patient, described the center as one of the modern dialysis center that he knows of.
Saura was earlier diagnosed to have chronic renal failure secondary to diabetes mellitus and a regular patient described the center.
He started undergoing dialysis in 2007 at a private hospital in Dagupan City. Typhoon Pepeng forced him to go to the Mayor Julian V. Resuello Dialysis Center as it was the only functional and accessible that time. He never transferred back to the other hospital since then.
"It has an automated machine for reuse, not manual like other clinics has...a machine that cleans the dialyzers for reuse. They are also using the button hole techniques in cannulating the access site, a procedure that is now in use in the US and Europe but not yet in the Philippines. This technique is being used on me," he explained.
"The nursing staff, and the biomed staff are all highly trained. They are not the run-of-the-mill nurses. They are certified renal nurses accredited by RENAP. They are among of the few nurses in the Philippines trained by staff of Da Vita, the biggest dialysis provider in the United States. The biomed staffs are also trained by Davita, they are responsible for keeping the equipment running efficiently. They seem to be doing a good job for I haven't seen any machine or equipment go in a major breakdown," he added.
Soriano meantime said the nurses report to work as early as 4 a.m. to prepare the machines. Patients usually start to arrive at 6 a.m. until 6:30 p.m.
Part of their plan, he said, is to give the nursing staff training to become dialysis nurses. (LCMY/Sunnex)