Speaker Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez on Wednesday said the government can save thousands of Filipinos suffering from kidney problems who have to undergo dialysis, which is not a cure but can extend the patient’s life.
Romualdez made the statement during the groundbreaking of the biggest hemodialysis center in the country at the National Kidney and Transplant Institute (NKTI) in Quezon City.
Other members of the House of Representatives, including appropriations committee chairman Ako Bicol Rep. Zaldy Co and Deputy Majority Leader Janette Garin, officials of Quezon City led by Vice Mayor Gian Carlo Sotto, Department of Public Works and Highways Sec. Manuel Bonoan, Department of Health officials, and NKTI officers led by Executive Director Dr. Rose Marie Rosete-Liquete attended the ceremony.
“Today, we are not just building an edifice. We are laying the foundation for hope, modern healthcare, and better quality of life for millions of Filipinos suffering from kidney ailments,” the leader of the 308-strong House of Representatives told his audience.
“Each dialysis machine that will be used here is equivalent to a life that can be saved, a family that will have hope, and dreams that can be fulfilled,” he said, adding that “this project will have a great impact on the lives of ordinary Filipinos. They don’t have to travel far or spend a lot of money just to get treatment. Here, they will have access to modern facilities and quality services to alleviate their illness.”
Kidney ailments are among the top disease-killers of Filipinos. More than one million of the country’s population are believed to be suffering from such illnesses. They have to undergo dialysis until they find donors for a kidney transplant or their condition deteriorates.
Romualdez said the 13-story NKTI Hemodialysis Center is part of the Legacy Specialty Hospital Project of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
He said NKTI is among specialty hospitals built during the first Marcos administration by then First Lady Imelda Romualdez Marcos, which also include Heart Center, Children’s Medical Center and Lung Center.
He pointed out that the hemodialysis facility would also train health professionals. The House leader called the facility as the Mega Hemodialysis Legacy Building.
Romualdez thanked NKTI officers and personnel for their dedication and tireless service to kidney patients and other Filipinos seeking health care at the hospital.
He also expressed his gratitude to the DPWH and the private sector, which have partnered through the government’s Public-Private Partnership Program to undertake NKTI’s hemodialysis center project.
Romualdez said aside from Legacy Specialty Hospitals, President Marcos has also launched the Legacy Food Security, which aims to help farmers and make available food products at low prices, and Legacy Housing, which would provide dwelling units to the poor at an affordable cost.
