The local government of Pasig City and Premier 101 Healthcare Management, Inc. signed on Thursday, March 24, a joint venture agreement for the maintenance, operation, and management of the newly constructed Pasig City Mega Dialysis Center (MDC).
Among the principal signatories were Pasig City Mayor Vico Sotto, Premier 101 Healthcare Management, Inc. Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Philip Lim, City Administrator Atty. Jeronimo Manzanero, and City Health Officer Dr. Joseph Panaligan.
The MDC, located on Eusebio Avenue in Barangay San Miguel, is the first project in the city that was made through the Public-Private Partnership for the People (P4) initiative, which encourages synergy between the two sectors.
The scope of the agreement is 15 years, but it may be extended upon renewal.
The MDC will offer accessible dialysis services such as renal failure treatment, kidney transplantation, peritoneal dialysis, and hemodialysis.
The three-storey facility will house 79 dialysis machines.
The first floor will have 70 machines, and the second will have nine machines specifically for treatment of hepatitis, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), and Covid-19.
The city currently has 37 of these machines – 24 in the Pasig City General Hospital (PCGH), eight in Manggahan Super Health Center, and five in Rosario Super Health Center.
With a total of 116 machines, Pasig City will be one of the biggest dialysis centers in the country, increasing the dialysis capacity of the city.
The costs of the dialysis services in the MDC will be shouldered by the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth), the medical assistance program of the Malasakit centers, and the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO).
Mayor Sotto said the MDC is part of the city government’s push for the full implementation of universal healthcare in the city.
The MDC will be able to address the difficulties dialysis patients and centers experienced, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic, in terms of booking slots, arduous travel to distant hospitals, and lack of machinery.
Sotto said that this project is the start of ventures to construct bigger infrastructure projects that will reap long-term benefits for the residents of the city.
Implementing more P4 projects will also entice people to participate and cooperate with the city to create programs that will cater to the progress of their communities, he added.