A House leader proposed an increase in Philhealth’s dialysis coverage from the current P2,600 to P4,200 as the National Kidney Transplant Institute described the rise in kidney diseases as alarming.
Rep. Stella Luz Quimbo, senior vice chairperson of the House Committee on Appropriations, said the proposed increase
will allow Filipinos to have equitable access to kidney treatment and care and to provuicebetter support patients with chronic kidney disease.
“Raising the rate to P4,200 will better meet patients’ needs,” Quimbo said during the launch of National Kidney Month.
She said the current rate of P2,600 is insufficient to cover patients’ medical needs. “That is evident among my constituents in Marikina who seek additional medical assistance by sending their receipts,” she said in Filipino.
Quimbo stressed that “PhilHealth can very well finance the increased coverage for dialysis given its 2023 reported positive net inflows of P173 billion even excluding government subsidies.”
This, Quimbo said, is enough basis for PhilHealth to expand benefit packages under the Universal Health Care Act.
In the case of dialysis coverage, total spending reached approximately P17 billion in 2023.
She added that the proposed increase in dialysis coverage to P4,200 would only mean an additional P10.5 billion in benefit spending.
“This proposal is timely, aligning with the celebration of National Kidney Month in June. By increasing dialysis coverage, we not only provide immediate relief but also encourage preventive healthcare measures,” she said.
Quimbo said that instead of a uniform increase in all case rates, PhilHealth should prioritize substantial increases for treatments with the highest morbidity and mortality rates.
Meanwhile, National Kidney and Transplant Institute (NKTI) pegged the number of chronic kidney disease sufferers at 42 percent.
According to Dr. Romina Danguilan, Deputy Executive Director for Medical Services at NKTI, 60,000 patients have undergone dialysis with an additional 35,000 new patients last year.
Danguilan said that since 2022, 17 percent of in-patients have been added to the list, garnering a total of 12,000 patients.
As for outpatients, there has been a 38-percent rise beginning 2022, which now has reached 58,000.
“It’s alarming, it’s very high. Five years ago, incidents of dialysis patients were only about 30 percent, now it’s already 42 percent,” she said.
She also stressed that those suffering from diabetes and hypertension are the leading causes of kidney failure.
