HOUSE OF REP rATIVES

Republic of the Philippines REGEN

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES pave:

Quezon City y tA
SEVENTEENTH CONGRES ‘ ae

First Regular Session

House Bill No. 2466

INTRODUCED BY REPRESENTATIVE ARTHUR C. YAP

EXPLANATORY NOTE

When both kidneys fail due to various reasons - usually diabetes,
inflammation of the kidney and high blood pressure - the struggle to stay
alive hinges either on a kidney transplant or continuous dialysis treatments.
A transplant can cost around 500,000 to a million pesos, while dialysis
treatments costs P3,500 on the average per session.

Dialysis is the process of removing blood from an artery, purifying it
by dialysis, adding vital substances, and returning it to a vein. Patients on
dialysis need to get two to three treatments a week which will cost them
about P28,000 to P42,000 per month. Those numbers are undeniably very
costly and unaffordable by most Filipinos, which explains why renal disease
is one of the top 10 causes of death in the Philippines. Stories of kidney
patients begging around for funds from legislators and charitable institutions
to pay for their dialysis treatments are, sadly, just too familiar.

Confounding the problem is the fact that sophisticated and advanced
hospital and medical equipment and facilities are found mostly in highly
urbanized cities, so much so that patients from the rural areas have to travel
all the way to these urban cities just to avail themselves of the needed
treatment.

In consonance with the government’s mandate to provide Filipinos
with comprehensive health services, local government units must be
activated to provide for the necessary facilities to make available and
affordable the medical treatments much needed by the people particularly in
the far-flung areas of the country.

This bill seeks to mandate all government hospitals (national, regional
and provincial) to put up dialysis wards for indigent patients and have the
procedure free of charge.


Under the proposed measure, a patient whose annual family income
does not exceed P30,000 will qualify under the category of indigent patient
and be entitled to dialysis at no cost. The propose measure also takes into
account the high cost of travel that put many patients especially in the rural
areas at a disadvantage.

In view of the foregoing, the immediate passage of the bill is earnestly

sought.

ARTHUR C. YAP
Representative


Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City

SEVENTEENTH CONGRESS
First Regular Session

House Bill No. 2486

INTRODUCED BY REPRESENTATIVE ARTHUR C. YAP

AN ACT

REQUIRING ALL NATIONAL, REGIONAL, AND

PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENT HOSPITALS TO

ESTABLISH, OPERATE AND MAINTAIN A DIALYSIS

WARD OR UNIT AND PROVIDING FREE DIALYSIS

TREATMENT TO INDIGENT PATIENTS
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines
in Congress assembled.

SECTION 1. Short Title. - This Act shall be known as the "Dialysis
Center Act of 2016’.

SECTION 2. Declaration of Policy. - It is the declared policy of
the State to improve the delivery of health care services to the people and to
ensure hospital facilities are available, affordable and accessible to the
people.

SECTION 3. Definition of Terms. - For purposes of this Act, the
following terms shall mean:

a) Secretary — shall refer to the Secretary of the Department of Health
b) National Government Hospital — shall refer to a hospital operated and

maintained either partially or wholly by the national government or by

any department, division, board or other agency thereof.


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c) Regional Government Hospital — shall refer to a hospital operated and
maintained either partially or wholly by the national government or by
any department, division, board or other agency thereof.

d) Provincial Government Hospital — shall refer to a hospital operated and
maintained either partially or wholly by the provincial government or
other political subdivision, or by any department, division, board or
other agency thereof.

e) Indigent Patient — shall refer to a patient whose combined annual family
incomes does not exceed Thirty Thousand Pesos ( P 30,000.00 )
annually.

SECTION 4. Establishment, Operation and Maintenance of a
Dialysis Ward or Unit. - Within two (2) years from the effectivity of this
Act, all national, regional, and provincial government hospitals are hereby
required to establish, operate and maintain a dialysis ward or unit in their
hospitals. The dialysis ward or unit shall be equipped with complete dialysis
machine, equipment and supplies.

SECTION 5. Free Dialysis Treatment to Indigent Patients. -
Dialysis treatment in all national, regional and provincial government
hospitals shall be provided free of charge to indigent patients as defined in
Section 3 (e) hereof.

SECTION 6. Penalty. - Any hospital chief, administrator or officer-
in-charge who fails to comply with this Act shall be punished with a fine of
Fifty Thousand Pesos (P50,000.00) but not more than One Hundred

Thousand Pesos (P100,000.00).


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SECTION 7. Implementing Rules and Regulations. - The Secretary
shall promulgate the rules and regulations necessary for the effective
implementation of this Act.

SECTION 8. Appropriations. - Such amount as may be necessary to
implement the provisions of this Act is hereby authorized to be appropriated
from the National Treasury. Thereafter, the amount necessary for the
continuous implementation of this Act shall be included in the government
hospital’s annual appropriations.

SECTION 9. Separability. - If any provision or part hereof, is held
invalid or unconstitutional, the remainder of the law or the provision not
otherwise affected shall remain valid and subsisting.

SECTION 10. Repealing Clause. - All laws, decrees, orders, rules
and regulations, or parts thereof inconsistent with the provisions of this Act
are hereby deemed repealed or modified accordingly.

SECTION 11. Effectivity. - This Act shall take effect fifteen (15)
days after its full publication in the Official Gazette or in at least two (2)
newspapers of general circulation.

APPROVED.