Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) president Dante Gierran will ask the company board to approve the proposed extension of dialysis coverage of patients beyond the 90-session limit a year, Malacañang said Tuesday.
According to Presidential spokesman Harry Roque, Gierran has suggested increasing the dialysis sessions to three times a week, or around 144 sessions a year from the current 90 sessions.
The proposal will be presented by Gierran in the board meeting scheduled on Wednesday, Roque said.
"Unang-una, kukuha po siya ng board approval para po maparami pa iyong dialysis more than 90. Ang kaniyang magiging suggestions sa board po at ito po ay bukas nilang pagmimitingan ay three times a week, times four weeks a month, times 12 (First, he will ask for the board approval to increase the dialysis coverage to more than 90. In the meeting set tomorrow, he suggested it should be given three times a week, times four weeks a month, times 12)," he said during a Palace press briefing.
"So more or less po, ang maibibigay na libreng dialysis kung aaprubahan po ng board ay 133 per year (So more or less, the free dialysis will be 133 per year if approved by the board)," he said.
Apart from additional dialysis sessions, Roque bared government plans to provide financial assistance to the concerned patients. He said Gierran has contacted Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) about the distribution of P10,000 for dialysis patients.
"Sana po malinaw na ngayon kung ano ang mangyayari doon sa ating libreng dialysis habang tayo po ay nasa panahon ng pandemya We hope it is clear on what will happen to our free dialysis program while we are in the middle of the pandemic)," he said.
House Deputy Minority Leader Carlos Isagani Zarate earlier criticized PhilHealth for supposedly reneging on its word to extend the 90-session limit for dialysis patients even before the expiry of the Bayanihan 2 law. Zarate expressed concern that the lives of dialysis patients are placed in danger by the latest PhiHealth policy.
A public health advocacy group earlier called the attention of government following reports that some PhilHealth members were denied of dialysis treatment after reaching the annual limit.
Zarate said PhilHealth initially announced that dialysis patients are exempted from the 45-day limit or the 90-session limit a year under the Bayanihan 2 law. “But in reality though, towards the end of any year, most dialysis patients are well past the 90 sessions allotted to them by PhilHealth, and must pay out-of-pocket for remaining sessions,” the Bayan Muna representative said.