Baybay City opens new dialysis center

BAYBAY CITY, Leyte, June 21 (PNA) -- The city government here has opened on Monday their new dialysis center to ease the burden of traveling of patients with renal problem.

The construction of new building was pushed through with the coordination of the local government units and the national government, said Mayor Carmen Cari.

The dialysis center is a pet project of then city mayor and now Leyte 5th district Rep. Jose Carlos Cari in 1999, in the bid to bring health services closer to poor patients.

The national government funded the construction of the new building while the city government provided the seven dialysis machines.

The city government utilized the PHP10-million earning from their economic enterprise to acquire new health equipments.

“I was so afraid to start, but they pushed me and assured me that this would be a successful project. 

Now, we can help patients with renal problem not only those in Baybay, but also from other parts of Leyte,” said Mayor Cari.

“This is really a good project that we thought of because patients from Baybay who need dialysis need not go to Ormoc, Tacloban or Cebu,” she added.

Department of Health Regional Director Minerva Molon said that it is important for the local government to familiarize the functions of national government agencies for them to know where to seek assistance.

“It is important that we got to know each other, the people who we are working with, the agency that are involved, the private sector around us, and the key leaders in the community. If we know each other, half of the work is done,” Molon said.

Molon urged the management of Baybay dialysis center to work for their PhilHealth accreditation for patients to fully avail health insurance benefits.

Rodrigo Capahi, supervising chief of the Baybay dialysis center, said that with the operation of the center, this will lessen the patients of dialysis center in Ormoc City.

Ormoc City has two dialysis centers that provide medical assistance to more than 40 renal patients from Baybay City.

“Our slots in Ormoc Doctors and OSPA Farmers Medical Hospital are already full and we need to expand. Right now, we cannot accommodate all of them and the rest of the patients from the southern part of Leyte Island,” Capahi said.

Capahi also supervises the same facility in Ormoc City and Maasin City in Southern Leyte.

“When this position was offered to me by the mayor I accepted it because I wanted to help them,” Capahi added.

He added that renal problem is not yet a serious health concern in the region, but having a dialysis center in strategic places is good for people to know that the region has the capability to address the medical needs of people. (PNA)

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