“A big step forward for geriatric health care.”
This was how Minority Leader Benny Abante categorized the launch of the country’s first hemodialysis unit for seniors, which is part of the new and expanded health services being offered by the Jose R. Reyes Memorial Medical Center (JRRMMC).
Senior citizens are extremely vulnerable to renal disease. The incidence of end-stage renal disease is highest in the 75 and older age group.
Established to address the increasing demand for hemodialysis among senior citizens, the new JRRMMC – Annex National Center for Geriatric Health (NCGH) – Hemodialysis Unit was launched on September 23. The facility––located in Gen. Solano St., Malacañang Complex, San Miguel, Manila––now provides the elderly with free, accessible, and quality hemodialysis care.
Among those present at the launch of the groundbreaking facility were the Minority Leader, JRRMMC Medical Center Chief II Dr. Emmanuel Montaña Jr., and Department of Health Assistant Secretary Dr. Elmer Punzalan.
Minority Leader Abante––a longtime champion of senior citizens’ rights and an advocate of geriatric health care––recognized the efforts put into preparing the new unit and making its services available in the middle of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.
The representative of the 6th District of Manila also shared the origins of the new facility, a “sentimental journey” that began in 2008, when the NCGH was being set up with the help of 200 million-peso funding courtesy of former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. The influx of funds were utilized for the construction of the NCGH’s new building and its initial operations.
Presently, the NCGH Hemodialysis Unit is equipped with 10 state-of-the-art hemodialysis machines and 17 professionally-trained health care providers. This facility will accommodate senior citizens who require hemodialysis treatment and have negative PCR tests and do not have comorbidities.
Senior citizens are extremely vulnerable to renal disease. The incidence of end-stage renal disease is highest in the 75 and older age group; it has also been increasing most rapidly in this age range.
The representative of the 6th District of Manila also shared the origins of the new facility, a “sentimental journey” that began in 2008.
Despite the many challenges faced by the institution, JRRMMC administrators are doing their best to develop NCGH structurally in accordance with the regulations set by the DOH. Together with public officials like the Minority Leader, they are also working to maximize available resources to ensure continuous services via free medicines and medical consultations for senior citizens.
Minority Leader Abante is currently working to provide better health care for the elderly. He is the author of House Bill (HB) 3939, a measure that seeks to convert the NCGH into the National Geriatric Health and Research Institute (NCGHRI), thereby establishing a fully-operational hospital that will cater to health services for the elderly in the Philippines.