ANGELES CITY -- As part of its second anniversary celebration, the Angeles City Renal Care Unit (ACRCU) conducted its first leg of kidney care seminar Friday at the City College of Angeles.
In cooperation with the Philippine Society of Nephrology (PSN) Central Luzon, the four-hour symposium aimed at lobbying queries and misconceptions about kidney diseases through education.
Dr. Ramon Jose Suarez, head of the ACRCU, said the best weapon the local government can give to Angeleños is ‘awareness.’
“In as much as Rafael Lazatin Memorial Medical Center would want to accommodate many patients as there can be, prevention is still important and Angeleños should be one with us for renal care,” Suarez said.
“Every year, the population of Filipinos having kidney illness also grows that is why this information drive is timely and appropriate,” he added.
In 2012, 13,000 Filipinos started treatment on dialysis. According to the ACRCU, an amount of P200,000 to P750,000 is needed by a patient annually for medication.
The city’s first renal care facility administers an average of 1,000 dialysis treatments to over 150 regular patients monthly. The dispensary spends as P950 per dialysis treatment.
ACRCU, which was established on July 2011 under the administration of Mayor Edgardo Pamintuan, is the largest dialysis center owned and operated by local government unites with its 21 dialysis machines.
A total of 16,559 treatments have been provided to indigent Angelenos suffering from kidney ailment.
Dr. Mara Baking-Tugade, president of the PSN here in Central Luzon, said the campaign is vital especially for young Angeleños.
For his part, Mayor Edgardo Pamintuan advised Angeleños to observe proper nutrition.
“While we are a culinary destination and our love for food is undeniable, we would still like to encourage our people to be vigilant with what they take in as kidney failure is a serious matter,” Pamintuan added.
ACRCU is also set to conduct a fund-raising project for the benefit of patients in line with its anniversary celebration.