REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City

EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS,

First Regular Session y

House Bill No. 67

Introduced by HON. KRISTINE ALEXIE B. TUTOR
3" District, Bohol

Explanatory Note

The 2017 Philippine Renal Disease Registry annual report shows that around 21,535 Filipino
patients have undergone dialysis due to kidney failure in 2016. The figure indicates a
dramatic increase from only 9,716 cases recorded in 2010 and presents a rate of increase at
around 8-18 percent per year. Sadly however, the data does not include patients who are
unable to get treatment due to inaccessibility to clinics.

In 2018 the Department of Health and the National Kidney and Transplant Institute reported
that one person dies every hour from kidney failure. More than 7,000 cases of kidney failure
in the country are recorded every year. This puts kidney failure as the ninth-leading cause of
death among Filipinos today.

Dialysis helps lengthen the life of a patient but is very expensive. It costs around P60,000 to
P70,000 a month—that’s P720,000 to P840,000 a year. This does not yet include the fees for
required laboratory tests and medicines. Add to this cost the travel expenses of patients in the
rural areas who need to travel to avail themselves of advanced medical treatment in
sophisticated hospitals found in urban cities.

In consonance to the government’s mandate to adopt an integrated and comprehensive
approach to health development which shall make health services accessible and affordable to
everyone, this proposed measure seeks to require all national, regional, and provincial
government hospitals to establish, operate, and maintain a dialysis ward or unit that shall
provide free dialysis treatment to indigent patients.

For a more accessible and efficient dialysis treatment for everyone, especially those in the
rural areas, the immediate approval of this proposed measure is earnestly sought.

HON. idea ALEXIE B. TUTOR

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REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City

EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS
First Regular Session

6783

House Bill No.

Introduced by HON. KRISTINE ALEXIE B. TUTOR
3" District, Bohol

AN ACT

REQUIRING ALL NATIONAL, REGIONAL, AND PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENT
HOSPITALS TO ESTABLISH, OPERATE AND MAINTAIN A DIALYSIS WARD
OR UNIT IN THEIR RESPECTIVE HOSPITAL AND PROVIDING FREE DIALYSIS
TREATMENT TO INDIGENT PATIENTS

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in

Congress assembled:

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SECTION 1. Short Title. - This Act shall be known as the “Dialysis
Center Act”.

SEC. 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.

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

a) Secretary refers to the Secretary of the Department of Health;

b) National Government Hospital refers to a hospital operated and
maintained either partially or wholly by the national government or by
any department, division, board or other agency thereof;

©) Regional Government Hospital refers to a hospital operated and
maintained either partially or wholly by the national government or by
any department, division, board or other agency thereof;

4) Provincial Government Hospital refers to a hospital operated and

maintained either partially or wholly by the provincial government or


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other political subdivision, or by any department division, board or
other agency thereof; and

©) Indigent Patient refers to a patient who has no visible means of
income, compensation, or financial assistance from his/her relatives to
support his/ her basic needs, as determined by the Department of
Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).

SEC. 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 hospital. The
dialysis ward or unit shall be equipped with complete dialysis machine,

‘equipment, and supplies.

SEC. 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.

SEC. 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).

SEC. 7. Implementing Rules and Regulations. - The Secretary shall
promulgate the necessary rules and regulations to implement the provisions of this
Act.

SEC. 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.


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SEC. 9. Separability Clause. — If any provision of this Act shall be held
unconstitutional or invalid, the other provisions not otherwise affected shall

remain in full force and effect.
SEC. 10. Repealing Clause. ~ All laws, executive orders or issuances, or
any parts thereof which are inconsistent herewith are hereby repealed or amended

accordingly.

SEC. 11. Effectivity Clause. - This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days

after its publication in at least two (2) newspapers of general circulation.

Approved,