Senator Risa Hontiveros on Tuesday, June 21 said she will refile the bill seeking free dialysis for senior citizens in the 19th Congress.
Hontiveros has been pushing for the passage into law of the proposed “Free Dialysis for Senior Citizens Act”during her first term, the last three years of which were made more complicated by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The measure seeks to mandate the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) to continue providing free treatment for senior citizens who are undergoing dialysis.
“Ramdam pa rin natin ang epekto ng pandemya. Ngayon ay may mga panibagong pasanin pa ang ating ekomomiya dahil sa pagtaas ng presyo ng gasolina, kaya kailangan nating patuloy na alalayan sila (We still feel the effects of the pandemic. Now, our economy has a new burden since the price of gas has increased, that’s why we need to provide them assistance),” said Hontiveros.
The senator said senior citizens are the “most vulnerable” among those with Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) and aging often comes with conditions that compromise kidney function such as heart diseases, high blood pressure and diabetes.
She noted that each patient needs at least a total of 156 dialysis sessions for a complete year of treatment. Without any PhilHealth subsidy, patients have to pay around P12,000 weekly for dialysis sessions.
However, senior citizens are dependent on their meager pensions and have no other source of income.
“Since then, we've been calling on PhilHealth to continue the free dialysis service. Every year, senior citizens would keep asking us if the free dialysis sessions would continue.
“Kaya sa tingin ko ay dapat nang gawing batas ito para mabigyan ng kapanatagan ang mga lolo at lola nating umaasa rito (That’s why we need to make this into a law, to give our senior citizens who rely on subsidy some assurance),” she said.
“This isn't just any privilege. It's literally their lifeline. Dapat automatic na yung pagiging libre ng kanilang dialysis sessions (Dialysis sessions should be automatic),” added Hontiveros.
The lawmaker had earlier pushed PhilHealth to icnrease the number of coverage of free dialysis sessions form 90 to 144. PhilHealth heeded the plea amid the impact brought about by the pandemic.
Likewise, Hontiveros also urged the Department of Health (DOH) to focus on disease prevention awareness by intensifying its campaign for health promotion, including the early detection of possible renal problems in senior citizens and even in children.