PHO: Free dialysis, knee replacement surgeries for Cebuanos

CEBUANOS suffering from kidney ailments needing costly dialysis treatments, and those suffering from osteoarthritis needing total knee replacement surgeries can now avail of these treatments and surgeries for free.

This developed after the Cebu Provincial Health Office (PHO) started offering the cheaper Peritoneal Dialysis treatments and knee replacement surgeries for free in the provincial hospitals starting last year.

Dr. Rannie Gravador, PHO focal person for Peritoneal Dialysis (PD), said in a press briefing at the Capitol on Friday that patients with kidney problems would need not go to hospitals and spend more money for every session of hemodialysis, which had been a commonly used method for kidney treatment.

“Based on studies, more or less the same ra ang outcome sa PD and hemo but cheaper ra ang PD,” she said.

Gravador said a hemodialysis treatment could cost at least P3,200 per session, which would run for about three times a week, excluding the patient’s travel expenses in going to the hospital for the treatments.

She said PD would be cheaper since the patient would only spend P200 for the fluids to be used in the process, but that would exclude the catheter and the tube to be used in the treatment.

While for PD, Gravador said, patients would only visit Provincial hospitals in cities in Carcar and Danao whose personnel would be capable for the procedure.

For the free total knee replacement surgery, Dr. Rene Catan, Provincial Health Office (PHO) chief, said that this would benefit especially the senior citizens, who could not walk because of this ailment and could not undergo the surgery because of financial constraints.

With this Capitol initiated program, these senior citizens could have a chance to walk again as they would only need a Philhealth card to undergo the surgery.

Jenith Gelbolingo, PHO nurse, said during the press briefing that a knee replacement surgery would cost at least P100,000 in a private hospital.

She also said that they had already performed operations on seniors citizens, ranging from 55 to 84-year-old, in Cebu province for free since last year.