1500 Cebu dialysis patients await Capitol protocols

CEBU CITY, Philippines — At least 1,500 renal or kidney patients in Cebu continue to await guidelines from the Capitol for the protocols that they will observe as they undergo dialysis sessions, mostly in Cebu City centers, amid the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) threat.

Amid the growing number of COVID-19 cases in the towns, Governor Gwendolyn Garcia has reported that residents in the province fear that the dialysis patients frequenting the medical facilities in Cebu City might contract the virus and expose their communities to risk.

Garcia earlier said that she would issue an executive order that would have made dialysis patients, who would undergo sessions in Cebu City to stay here while the coronavirus threat was imminent, but Garcia decided to put on hold the order due to an appeal from the Philippine Society of Nephrology.

READ: Halfway house, alternative dialysis centers for renal patients eyed

The nephrologists said dialysis patients had several special needs that would be hard to meet if they would be compelled to stay in a halfway house or shelter.

Garcia met with the doctors on Thursday, May 7, 2020.

According to the data presented by the Philippine Society of Nephrology, there are at least 943 patients in northern Cebu and 589 patients in southern Cebu, who undergo dialysis sessions in centers across Metro Cebu.

“Ang tinguha nato will be that the final executive order will be just, fair and equitable. Atong paminawon ang concern, ang kabalaka sa kadaghanan natong kaigsuonan sa kalungsoran ug dakbayan sa probinsya ug ato usab tagaan ug gibug-aton ang kahimtang  sa matag dialysis patient,” Garcia said.

(Our objective will be that the final executive order will be just, fair and equitable. We will hear the concerns and worries of the people from the towns and cities in the province while we weigh the conditions of each dialysis patient.)

Garcia said she would also confer with the mayors for their insights on how to address their constituents’ concerns.

“Amo ning tun-an og maayo ug naninguha ko nga makahimo ta og usa ka executive order nga maka-address sa issue ining una sa tanan, sige og anhi diri kay magpa-dialysis unya mouli unya kinahanglan ihatod og ambulansya ug ang kahadlok sa katawhan aning mga dialysis patients. Initially niingon na man ta nga mag halfway house unta ta nganhi pero the dialysis patients have very special needs. Kining tanan ato ning timbang-timbangon,” Garcia said.

(We will closely study on this, and I intend to come up with an executive order that will address first, the concern of the public about these patients who come to the city for their dialysis treatments and go back home using the ambulances. Initially we talked about a halfway house for them but these patients have very special needs. We will weigh everything accordingly.)

Garcia said she intented to release the order within a week’s time./dbs