House Speaker Martin Romualdez (Speaker’s office)

House Speaker Martin Romualdez's efforts to increase the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation's (PhilHealthl) dialysis benefit from P2,600 to P4,000 is set to make a huge impact on Filipinos' lives. 

This can be gleaned from the messages of appreciation that a handful of hemodialysis patients recently gave to the House leade and Leyte 1st district congressman. 

Last week, Romualdez hailed PhilHealth President and Chief Executive Officer Emmanuel Ledesma Jr. and Department of Health (DOH) Secretary Teodoro Herbosa for approving his request to increase the dialysis benefits for members following meetings with House Deputy Majority Leader ACT-CIS Party-list Rep. Erwin Tulfo. 

Gerwin Acepcion Castor, a hemodialysis patient, said the increase in PhilHealth's dialysis benefit will give him and his family much-needed financial relief. 

"Okay po sa akin yung increase na maging P4,000 kasi malaking tulong sa ibang bayarin pa dito. Sana ‘dun napupunta sa ibang bayarin namin. Salamat po sa Kongreso sa pagsulong niyo sa PhilHealth para ang mga pasyente na kagaya ko, wala kaming babayaran tuwing salang ng session namin. 

(The increase to P4,000 is okay with me since it will help with the other bills. I hope it goes to our other bills. Thank you to Congress for pushing this before PhilHealth for the sake of patients like me, we won't have to pay during our sessions.) 

Another patient, 17-year-old Jamaica Mutia Del Rosario, echoed the sentiments of Castor. She said the increased financial benefit will ease the financial burdens on chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients. 
 
"Mas okay po na taasan nila ang benepisyo, from P2,600 to P4,000 para kahit papano makatipid kami sa iba pong gastusin lalo napo sa pagda-dialysis po," Del Rosario said. 

(It's better for us if they increase the benefit, from P2,600 to P4,000 so that we can somehow save money from our other expenditures especially dialysis.) 

"Kay Speaker Romualdez, sana po tuloy-tuloy po ang pagtaas ng benepisyo ni PhilHealth lalo nasa aming dialysis patients dahil habang buhay na po kaming ganito na magda-dialysis po," she added. 

(To Speaker Romualdez, I hope the PhilHealth benefit continues to go up especially for us dialysis patients because dialysis is a lifetime burden.) 

Patient Norman Gajo says his pension is not enough to cover dialysis treatment; as such he is greatful for the increase in benefit from PhilHealth. 
 
"It is a very great help for us, lalo na kaming matatagal ng nagda-dialysis. Financially kung tutuusin talaga yung mga pension namin hindi sapat. Very thankful kami na nag-increase kayo ng coverage for us," he said. 

(It is a very great help for us, especially for us that have long been under dialysis. Financially, our pension simply isn't enough. Very thankful that you increased coverage for us.) 

"Speaker Romualdez, thank you very much for your efforts, ‘yung malasakit ninyo sa aming mga pasyente (for your compassion to us patients)," he added. 
 
Another dialysis patient, Aldrin Aguilar,; said the increase in dialysis benefits from PhilHealth will really help especially those like him who have no means of livelihood. 
 
"Maraming, maraming salamat sa kanilang gagawing tulong na ‘yan sir. Wala naman kaming mga trabaho na, kaya sana ma -cover na lahat para hindi na kami masayado mamroblema," Aguilar said. 

(Thank you very much for the help that they will provide. We don't have jobs anymore, so hopefully it covers everything so that we won't have problems anymore.) 

Romualdez earleir reckoned thaf the increase in PhilHealth dialysis benefits “will be a big help to the more than one million Filipinos undergoing dialysis". 

“With the increased assistance, they will no longer have to augment the amount they spend for this procedure, even in private health facilities,” he said. 

The adjustment supports the goal of President Marcos and the Universal Health Care Law to provide poor Filipinos with free health care," he noted.