Health Secretary Ted Herbosa said President Marcos has ordered the Department of Health (DOH) to strengthen chronic kidney disease (CKD) prevention efforts nationwide, following reports of a growing number of Filipinos, including children, undergoing dialysis.

During a press conference on Thursday, June 19, Herbosa said the directive came after the Chief Executive visited a dialysis center and spoke with a young patient undergoing treatment, an encounter that highlighted the urgent need to address CKD through stronger preventive healthcare.

“Mayroon ding bata na nakita si Presidente kanina doon sa dialysis center at inutos niya doon sa kaniyang talumpati, sinabi niya na gawan din ng programa sa prevention ng CKD (The President met a child at the dialysis center earlier, and during his speech, he ordered us to create a program for CKD prevention),” he said.

According to Herbosa, the main causes of CKD in the country are lifestyle-related illnesses such as diabetes and hypertension.

“Ang CKD natin ngayon karamihan dahil sa diabetes at hypertension kaya sinabi niya nga, inatasan ako na palakasin iyong primary care prevention part (Most CKD cases now are due to diabetes and hypertension, so the President ordered me to strengthen our primary care and prevention efforts).”

The DOH chief also stressed the need for lifestyle change, particularly among children.

“Sabi niya nga, mataas siguro iyong sugar content ng ating mga kinakain, gawan ng paraan para mabawasan ito, iyong ating mga kabataan mabigyan ng tamang ehersisyo or active kasi kadalasan nasa front na lang ng LCD (He said the sugar content in our food is probably too high and must be reduced. He also stressed the need to get children to exercise and be active because many of them now just sit in front of screens),” said Herbosa.

To further explain the growing number of pediatric cases, National Kidney and Transplant Institute (NKTI) executive director Dr. Jose Dante Dator said that aside from lifestyle-related diseases, children are now being diagnosed with CKD due to Type 1 diabetes and other medical conditions.

“Ang mga bata bukod doon sa Type 1 diabetes na alam ninyo na isinilang sila na mayroon na noon ang sinisira po noon iyong maliliit na ugat sa loob ng kidney – so, ang tawag po namin doon nephrosclerosis – sumasara iyon nagkakaroon na po ng end stage renal disease kung tawagan (Children with Type 1 diabetes, which they’re often born with, experience damage to the small vessels in the kidneys—this condition is called nephrosclerosis—which eventually leads to end-stage renal disease),” Dator said.

He also noted that other causes of CKD in children include immune-related conditions and repeated infections.

“Hindi lang po diabetes ang sa bata, iyong tinatawag na glomerulonephritis – iyon iyong sarili mong katawan lumalaban doon sa mga laman ng kidney… pagkatapos mayroon din po iyong mga infection sa bata na paulit-ulit po dahil may mga bata pong pinanganak na mayroon silang kapansanan na nagkakaroon sila ng mga infection na umaakyat sa kidney (It’s not just diabetes. There’s also glomerulonephritis, where the body attacks parts of the kidney. Some children also suffer from repeated infections due to congenital conditions, which cause infections to reach the kidneys).”

Dator stressed the importance of early detection and education, saying intervention during childhood can prevent progression to end-stage renal disease.

“So, marami po doon gusto naming madiskubre habang bata kasi maiiwasan po natin na magtuluy-tuloy iyon doon sa end stage renal disease na mangangailangan ng tinatawag na renal replacement therapy which ranges from dialysis at one end to kidney transplantation at the other end (We want to detect these early in childhood to prevent them from progressing to end-stage renal disease, which requires renal replacement therapy—either dialysis or transplantation),” he added.

He emphasized that CKD prevention is a whole-of-government approach.

“Iyong programa pong iyon malawakan po iyon, hindi lang po Department of Health, National Kidney, DepEd at saka iba pa hong ahensiya. So, malaki po ang matitipid natin doon sa primary and prevention pero iyong investment na ito for 10 to 20 years from now pero dapat po tuluy-tuloy iyan para makita natin iyong resulta para hindi na masyadong marami ang dina-dialysis natin (This program is broad and will involve the DOH, NKTI, DepEd, and other agencies. We can save a lot through primary care and prevention, but this is a long-term investment—10 to 20 years—so we need sustained effort to reduce dialysis cases in the future),” said Dator.

Meanwhile, PhilHealth president and CEO Dr. Emmanuel Mercado announced a new benefit package for post-kidney transplant patients, including support for organ donors.

“Patuloy naming ipinatutupad ang adhikain ng ating mahal na Presidente, si Pangulong Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos Jr., na bigyan ng pag-asa at bagong buhay ang mga Pilipinong nagtitiis sa kanilang mga dinaramdam (We continue to fulfill the vision of our beloved President, Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos Jr., to give hope and new life to Filipinos suffering from illness),” he said.

“Hatid namin ang bagong benepisyong naglalayong ipagpatuloy ang alagang PhilHealth para sa mga pasyenteng sumailalim na ng kidney transplantation… Nais natin ang isang normal at matiwasay na buhay para sa lahat sa kabila ng anumang karamdaman (We bring a new benefit aimed at continuing PhilHealth’s care for patients who’ve undergone kidney transplantation… We want a normal and peaceful life for all despite illness),” he added.