House panel pushes for free dialysis for senior citizens

MANILA – Senior citizens suffering from kidney diseases could soon have access to free dialysis procedures as the proposed Free Dialysis for Senior Citizens Act hurdled committee level at the House of Representatives.

The House Special Committee on Senior Citizens, chaired by Senior Citizens Party-list Rep. Rodolfo Ordones, approved House Bill 7859 on Thursday.

Under the bill, the cost of the needed hemodialysis, peritoneal dialysis, and other Department of Health (DOH)-approved dialysis procedures would be reimbursed by the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth).

The bill noted that such treatments should be availed of at PhilHealth-accredited hospitals and freestanding dialysis centers.

Ordones, author of the bill, said that the need to access dialysis in the Philippines has increased by 400 percent in the past 10 years with chronic kidney disease becoming one of the causes of death among Filipino senior citizens.

He said the risk and death associated with kidney disease are preventable with proper access to treatment.

The funding shall be sourced in the appropriations of the DOH and the PhilHealth in the current and subsequent General Appropriations Act and their own respective funds.