LAPU-LAPU CITY, Cebu—The Department of Health in Central Visayas (DOH-7) assured dialysis outpatients who would be displaced during the construction of the new Renal Care and Transplant building of the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center (VSMMC) that they will be referred to other hospitals and medical facilities.
Dr. Jaime Bernadas, regional director of DOH-7, said that they have already coordinated the different local government units (LGUs) in Cebu for the relocation of these patients once the construction of the new Renal Care and Transplant building starts in April.
Earlier, VSMMC announced that starting in April, they will downscale the operation of their Renal Care and Transplant Center and limit its dialysis patients to admitted and those who need emergency dialysis sessions to give way to the construction of their new building.
The hospital has around 200 to 300 dialysis outpatients who would be displaced during the construction.
He said that they are targeting to refer all affected patients to other dialysis clinics by the end of April.
“Though we had a meeting with other hospitals, including both private and public, the local government units, to absorb the patients that will be displaced gikan sa Vicente Sotto nga dialysis center, so ako nani karong ginatan-aw nga by April 15 or by the end of April, ma-assign naning mga dialysis patients to other dialysis clinics. So wala mi dapat ma-miss,” Bernadas said.
Currently, Bernadas said that they are already capacitating the Provincial Hospital in Danao, Carcar, and Balamban so that they can already accept dialysis patients there.
Aside from this, those dialysis patients from Cebu City would be referred to the Cebu City Medical Center (CCMC).
Those who would not be accommodated in these hospitals, Bernadas said, will be referred to private clinics or hospitals. The government will shoulder their bills in those hospitals.
“They will be taken cared of after the closing of that unit,” he said.
/bmjo
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