The City Government of San Fernando is now preparing for the enrollment of the beneficiaries of City Mayor Vilma Caluag’s brainchild – the free Hemodialysis under her Universal Health Care program.
It would be recalled that on August 2, 2022, the official signing of the Memorandum of Agreement between Caluag and the program’s provider Luzon Medical System, took place.
The firm’s owner, Jose Antonio Torres II, was represented by its Chief Executive Officer Peter Paul Soliman during the signing while City Health Officer-in-Charge Dr. Rowena Salas joined Caluag.
This provided a “green light” for the City (first party) and the provider (second party) to proceed to the succeeding steps – the enrollment of beneficiaries and construction of the City Dialysis Center in City Civic Center, San Isidro – leading to the program’s launch.
To date, the agreement cited that there are 414 Fernandino indigent dialysis patients who are eligible to avail of the program. The City Health Office and City Social Welfare and Development Office are targeting to begin the enrollment of beneficiaries from the initial batch of barangays in the succeeding week.
This is in consonance with the construction of the center set also in the same period after the acquisition of necessary permits.
COST-FREE PROJECT
“Noong kampanya pa lamang hanggang sa aking pag-upo, ito na ang sinasabi kong prayoridad na programa ng ating administrasyon. Masasabi nating isa ito, kung hindi man ang pinaka, sa mga magagandang hemodialysis programs sa bansa sa aspetong pinansyal, lokasyon, at kaledad ng serbisyo,” Caluag said.
Under the Revenue Sharing portion of the agreement, it was cited that the project will implement a “No Balance Billing” policy, thus, this is cost-free to the City Government.
As the project’s main provider, the Luzon Medical System, for their part, will provide and maintain 25 dialysis machines, chairs, and over 60 related equipment and supplies along with the facility’s exterior and interior needs, medical materials and tools, among others, as likewise stated in the agreement.
Apart from this, the operations and construction works for the program will also be handled by the provider.
While, the agreement noted that “the first party [City Government of San Fernando] shall provide a focal point person for a smooth coordination, a land property for the center, ancillary support, a registered social worker, ambulance with medical practitioners, monitoring of the center’s operation, feedback mechanism, and necessary structural and non-structural repairs.”
“The Philippines records an annual increase of chronic kidney disease patients and with these exigent circumstances, there is a pressing need to open an operational dialysis center to cater to indigent Fernandinos. The involvement of both parties is essential to the effective and successful implementation of this initiative,” mutually affirmed by Caluag and Torres II.
The Luzon Medical System is a Rizal province-based company providing medical equipment, supplies, and services.
The agreement with this firm was realized following a resolution from the Office of the Sangguniang Panlungsod authored by City Councilor Dr. Ayzel Mari-Grace Macalino.