The Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) is set to increase this year its coverage for outpatient hemodialysis to 156 sessions from the current 90 sessions.
This is in line with the state health insurer's commitment to "implement several enhancements this year" in its benefit packages, said PhilHealth President and Chief Executive Officer Emmanuel Ledesma Jr.
"Recognizing the yearly ordeal of our dialysis patients, we will expand our coverage for outpatient hemodialysis from 90 to 156 sessions," said Ledesma in a press briefing on Wednesday, Feb. 15.
"This increase in the number of sessions covered is based on standards for adequate dialysis which requires three four-hour sessions every week for chronic kidney disease stage 5 patients," he added.
The agency is targeting to officially issue this new policy before August, said PhilHealth Senior Vice President Israel Francis Pargas.
"Remember our dialysis covers 90 sessions right now and basically it will end up to second sem or at least until August... So we have the time until the second sem to make sure na yung 156 mailabas natin. Kasi iyon pong initial coverage natin pagdating sa (that we can release the 156 ). Because the initial coverage for) dialysis is up to 90 sessions and that again will last until July or August of this year and every year thereafter," he said.
Pargas said that they are hoping to officially issue this new policy "the soonest to make sure that our people and our dialysis patients are already informed and our institutions are actually ready."
"We hope that by this first or or second sem, we can already come out with the policy," he said.
Meanwhile, Ledesma also encouraged the public to also avail PhilHealth's other "renal replacement therapy."
"PhilHealth is providing P270,000 in financial support to patients who are on peritoneal dialysis or what we call PD-First. And for those who have organ donors, PhilHealth pays P600,000 for renal patients qualified under our Z benefits for kidney transplantation," said Ledesma.
"We urge our kidney patients to avail of these benefits to achieve better quality of life," he added.