GENERAL SANTOS CITY (MindaNews / 21 May) – The provincial government of South Cotabato has stepped up preparations for the planned full operation by July of its own dialysis center at the provincial hospital in Koronadal City.
The South Cotabato Provincial Hospital in Koronadal City. Photo courtesy of Google Street View
Dr. Conrado Braña, chief of the South Cotabato Provincial Hospital (SCPH), said Thursday they have started the installation of the necessary equipment at the facility following the completion of its delivery early this week.
He said the acquired equipment worth P10 million comprised 10 hemodialysis machines with water system facilities and other accessories.
It includes a central treatment and distribution unit, reprocessing machine, sodium bicarbonate mixer, dialyzer rack, digital wheel chair weighing scale, 10 dialysis chairs and 10 automatic voltage regulators.
Braña said these are being set up in a newly renovated building worth P5 million inside the SCPH.
He said they are currently finalizing the necessary prerequisites for the opening of the center “the soonest possible time,” including the license to operate from the Department of Health.
The manpower complement for the facility and the mechanics for the prioritization of beneficiaries are already in place, he said.
“The long wait is over, soon our constituents can finally avail of free dialysis services at the provincial hospital,” Braña said in a statement.
Once fully operational, the official acknowledged that they may not be able to accommodate all patients in the province due to the limited capacity.
He said they are planning to utilize seven of the 10 acquired dialysis machine for the first phase of the center’s operation.
But they can add more machines later on based on the design capacity of the building, he said.
Braña said they can still expand its operations to accommodate more patients, depending on the budget allocation.
Mark Lapidez, who was designated to monitor the operations of public hospitals in the province, said the upcoming opening of the dialysis center is a realization of the free health services initiated earlier by Gov. Reynaldo Tamayo Jr.
He cited the governor’s campaign promise in 2019 to provide free hospitalization for residents, especially the indigents.
“It’s finally here and we are happy that almost all of the promised health services are gaining ground,” he said. (MindaNews)
