President Marcos has ordered the accelerated construction of the National Kidney and Transplant Institute's (NKTI) Legacy Building in Quezon City, saying the project is crucial in addressing the growing number of Filipinos suffering from chronic kidney disease (CKD).

The President issued the directive during his inspection of the project's ongoing construction on Friday, June 26, stressing that the government must immediately expand the country's dialysis capacity to meet increasing demand. The project forms part of the administration's Legacy Hospitals program.

"Malapit nang matapos itong Phase 1. Sinimulan na ang Phase 2... at pagkatapos nito, ito ang magiging pinakamalaking dialysis center sa Southeast Asia (Phase 1 is nearly complete. Phase 2 has already started... and once finished, this will become the largest dialysis center in Southeast Asia),” he told the media following the inspection.

The 13-story Legacy Building will house 200 state-of-the-art dialysis machines and is designed to serve as a one-stop healthcare facility complete with a Malasakit Center, operating rooms, a pharmacy, and training facilities for healthcare professionals.

Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Secretary Vince Dizon said the project is intended not only to increase the country's dialysis capacity but also to improve medical training and strengthen NKTI's role as the country's premier center for kidney care and transplantation.

According to President Marcos, the building is expected to begin receiving medical equipment by early 2027 and should be operational by early 2028.

"Pinabibilisan natin... early 2028 makapag-operate na itong dialysis center (We are accelerating the work... so this dialysis center can begin operations by early 2028),” he said.

The President said the facility will significantly improve access to affordable dialysis treatment and help provide better healthcare services to Filipinos living with chronic kidney disease.

President Marcos said the project is urgently needed as kidney disease continues to affect millions of Filipinos.

"Ito kasi ay malaki ang pangangailangan sa ating populasyon dahil ang kanilang statistics, over 11 percent ng mga Pilipino ay may chronic kidney disease, kaya't kailangang pagtibayin natin at palawakin natin ang ating serbisyo para sa pag-treat ng CKD (This project addresses a major need because statistics show that over 11 percent of Filipinos have chronic kidney disease, so we must strengthen and expand our services for treating CKD),” he said.

Marcos added that the government is also looking at ways to prevent kidney disease through stronger public health interventions instead of focusing solely on treatment.

"Napag-uusapan namin kung paano ang maaari nating gawin upang makaiwas ang ating mga kababayan sa chronic kidney disease (We are also discussing what we can do to help our fellow Filipinos avoid chronic kidney disease),” he said.

Marcos also highlighted the government's expanded PhilHealth coverage for CKD patients.

He said the annual hemodialysis package has been increased from 90 to 156 sessions, while the benefit per dialysis session has been raised from P4,000 to P6,350.

The President added that PhilHealth also increased its Z Benefit package for peritoneal dialysis to as much as P500,140 annually for adults and up to P1.2 million for pediatric patients.

He likewise noted that the country now has 904 PhilHealth-accredited dialysis centers serving patients nationwide.

The PhilHealth Z Benefit Package covers catastrophic and prolonged illnesses requiring expensive treatments, such as certain cancers, open-heart surgeries, and kidney transplants. It aims to provide comprehensive financial risk protection by covering the entire course of treatment, including hospital fees, medication, and professional fees.

The Chief Executive said the government changed its funding strategy to speed up construction after previous projects suffered delays because funds were released in phases.

"Imbes na dating nangyayari kasi tingi-tingi ang pagbibigay ng pondo kaya hindi puwedeng madaliin, ang ginawa natin, pinalitan natin ang sistema, buo kaagad ang pondo (In the past, funds were released in small portions, making it impossible to speed up construction. We changed that system by releasing the funding upfront),” Marcos said.

He explained that the new approach allows construction of the upper floors to proceed simultaneously while finishing work continues on the lower levels.