South Cotabato Governor Reynaldo S. Tamayo Jr. plans to expand the free services of the South Cotabato Provincial Hospital (SCPH) Dialysis Center after more dialysis patients needed treatment.
Of the initial ten (10) dialysis machines presently available, only eight (8) are operational as the two machines are on standby in case there will be malfunctions.
After the approval of its License to Operate from the Department of Health, the soft opening took place on July 20, which served an initial of eight patients, the youngest of which is a 15-year-old boy from the city of Koronadal.
The Php10 million worth of Hemodialysis machine is complete with water system facilities, and Set-up Accessories include 10 units of Dialysis machine, 1-unit Central Treatment, and Distribution, 1-Unit Reprocessing machine, 1 Unit Sodium Bicarbonate Mixer, 1 Unit Dialyzer Rack, 10-Units Dialysis Chair,10 Units: Automatic Voltage Regulator, and 1 Unit Digital Wheel Chair Weighing Scale.
The facility is situated in the newly renovated building worth Php5 million inside the SCPH. All the manpower complement has been put in place including the mechanics on the prioritization of beneficiaries.
To date, there have been a total of 260 applicants for the said facility but it can only accommodate 8 patients for this month. More patients will be added on a monthly basis. By the end of this year, the center is set to be of service to 56 dialysis patients only.
Governor Tamayo plans to add ten (10) more dialysis machines at the SCPH, making it 20; and 10 each for Polomolok District Hospital and Norala District Hospital.
While the operation of the dialysis center is under the SCPH but the prioritization of the patients will come from the Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office (PSWDO) after a thorough evaluation.
Governor Tamayo stated that the center accepts patients from South Cotabato province only.
” We have limitations with our services since the budget is not enough. As much as we want to accommodate all, we cannot do that by now”, he said,
He added that if patients can not avail of the free services from the dialysis center, the provincial government offers other help in the form of financial assistance for dialysis from other facilities, hospital assistance, laboratories, medical assistance, and burial assistance.
Governor Tamayo assures that all people who need help can avail themselves of the services of the province.
