More dialysis centers up in Cebu

CEBU CITY - More dialysis centers will soon be available to Cebuanos next year as the Provincial Government is currently negotiating with Medtronix Medical Supplies and Equipment for the installation and maintenance of 45 regular hemodialysis machines.

These centers will be divided evenly between the district hospitals of Camotes and Bantayan, as well as Balamban Provincial Hospital. Dialysis patients living in the islands of Camotes and Bantayan will no longer cross the sea just to avail themselves of the dialysis services at Danao Provincial Hospital.

For its part, Balamban District Hospital, which already has 10 dialysis machines, will be added 15 more to cater to more patients, especially since it is strategically located in the midwestern part of the province.

In a recent meeting at the Capitol, Governor Gwendolyn Garcia expressed her intent to fast-track the negotiation and asked Medtronix and RCV Construction to start the structural works immediately as the locations of these dialysis centers were already determined.

Provincial Board Member Dr. Stanley Caminero, chairman of the Committee on Public Health; Provincial Health Officer Dr. Rannie Gravador, and chiefs of hospitals also joined the governor in the meeting.

"For Camotes and Bantayan, these are already existing buildings. Meron nang existing building, we will provide the space para halos architechtural nalang gagawin doon sa loob at i-install na yung penetration system sa labas," she said.

Medtronix owner and general manager Jona Brigida Navarro, who is virtually present via Zoom, told the governor that they will visit the area on the first week of December and discuss with RCV the architectural construction. The structural works are expected to begin early next year.

The hemodialysis center, which is a private-public partnership, aims to cater to the renal patients in the Province of Cebu who are undergoing dialysis treatment. (Babie Jane Revecoy)