NINETEENTH CONGRESS OF THE ) 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES ) 
First Regular Session 
)
SENATE
s. No. 2187
of ti)o ::.'P-tai7
23 MAY 15 P3 :22
RECEIVED SV.
Introduced by SENATOR CYNTHIA A. VILLAR
AN ACT
PROVIDING FOR FREE HEMODIALYSIS, PERITONEAL DIALYSIS, AND 
OTHER DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH APPROVED DIALYSIS PROCEDURES TO 
ALL SENIOR CITIZENS
EXPLANATORY NOTE
Article XIII, Section 11 of the 1987 Philippine Constitution asserts: "The State 
shall adopt an integrated and comprehensive approach to health development which 
shall endeavor to make essential goods, health, and other social services available to 
all the people at affordable cost. There shall be priority for the needs of the 
underprivileged sick, elderly, disabled, women, and children. The State shall 
endeavor to provide free medical care to paupers." This provision serves as a 
powerful reminder of the government’s commitment to prioritize the welfare of 
vulnerable populations, including senior citizens.
Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) is a pressing global health concern that affects 
approximately one in ten people. The Global Burden of Disease Study 2017 by the 
Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) highlights the continued 
significant impact of CKD on morbidity and mortality rates worldwide. Senior citizens, 
particularly those aged 65 to 74, are especially susceptible to CKD, with one in five 
men and one in four women affected. This vulnerability puts them at increased risk 
of severe complications or death from heart attacks and strokes. The COVID-19 
pandemic has only intensified the mortality risk for seniors with CKD, with research 
showing that 14-30% of COVID-19 patients suffer kidney function loss, 20-40% of
1


ICU patients develop kidney failure necessitating emergency dialysis, and kidney 
transplant patients experience mortality rates as high as 30%.
In the Philippines, the demand for dialysis has skyrocketed by 400% in the 
last decade, and CKD has become a leading cause of death among Filipino senior 
citizens. While proper access to treatments such as hemodialysis, peritoneal dialysis, 
and other Department of Health (DOH) approved dialysis procedures could mitigate 
these outcomes, the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) only 
subsidizes 90 of the needed 144 dialysis sessions under PhilHealth Circular No. 22- 
2015. Consequently, senior citizens must shoulder the remaining 54 sessions, which 
amount to an annual cost of PHP 135,000.
This financial burden weighs heavily on the country's ten million senior 
citizens, many of whom are unemployed and reliant on pensions. Notably, 3,796,791 
Indigent senior citizens receive a PHP 500 monthly social pension from the Philippine 
Government. The lingering COVID-19 pandemic has further strained their economic 
circumstances, underscoring the need for additional support.
In line with the constitutional mandate to prioritize the needs of senior 
citizens, this bill alms to alleviate the burden on our senior citizens suffering from 
CKD by providing free hemodialysis, peritoneal dialysis, and other DOH-approved 
dialysis procedures to ail senior citizens. By doing so, we reaffirm our commitment to 
safeguarding their health and well-being.
In view of the foregoing, I recommend the approval of this bill.
CYNTHIA A. VILLAk


NINETEENTH CONGRESS OF THE ) 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES ) 
First Regular Session 
)
(©ffit? of tl)? £'■1 ‘'vetai'i*
23 MAY 15 P3:22
SENATE
Introduced by SENATOR CYNTHIA A. VILLAR
AN ACT
PROVIDING FOR FREE HEMODIALYSIS, PERITONEAL DIALYSIS, AND 
OTHER DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH APPROVED DIALYSIS PROCEDURES TO 
ALL SENIOR CITIZENS
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in 
Congress assembled:
1 
Section 1. Short Title. - This Act shall be known as the "Free Dialysis for
2 
Senior Citizens Act of 2023."
3 
Sec. 2. Free Dialysis Sessions for AH Senior Citizens. - The cost of the needed
4 
hemodialysis, peritoneal dialysis, and other Department of Health (DOH) approved
5 
dialysis procedure shall be reimbursed by the Philippines Health Insurance
6 
Corporation (PhilHealth), provided such treatment is availed of at the PhllHealth
7 
accredited hospitals and freestanding dialysis centers. Provided further, that only
8 
those procedures that use the dialysis solutions Included in the latest edition of the
9 
Philippine National Drug Formulary (PNDF) shall be reimbursed by the PhllHealth.
10 
Provided finally, that only laboratory procedures and supplies considered necessary
11 
shall be covered by the PhilHealth. PhilHealth shall as soon as possible reimburse all
12 
official receipts for drugs, supplies, and laboratory procedures dated thirty (30) days
13 
prior to the date of the claimed session.
14 
Sec. 3. Appropriations. - The amount needed for the implementation of this
15 
Act shall be charged against the appropriations of the DOH and the PhilHealth in the
16 
current and subsequent General Appropriations Act and their own respective funds.
1


1 
Thereafter, the amount needed for the continued implementation of this Act shall be
2 
Included in the budget of the concerned departments in the annual General
3 
Appropriations.
4 
Sec. 4. Implementing Rules and Regulations. - Within thirty (30) days from
5 
the approval of this Act, the DOH, the PhllHealth, and the National Commission on
6 
Senior Citizens (NCSC), In coordination with other Implementing agencies, shall
7 
formulate rules and guidelines as may be necessary for the proper implementation
8 
and enforcement of this Act.
9 
Sec. 5. Separability Clause. - If any provision of this Act or the application
10 
thereof to any person or circumstance is declared Invalid or unconstitutional, the
11 
other provisions or sections of this Act and the application of such provision or
12 
section to other persons or circumstances, not affected thereby shall continue to be
13 
in full force and effect.
14 
Sec. 6. Repealing Clause. - All laws, decrees, executive orders, rules, and
15 
regulations, or parts thereof that are contrary to or inconsistent with the provisions
16 
of this Act are hereby repealed, modified, or amended accordingly.
17 
Sec. 7. Effectivity. - This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its
18 
complete publication in the Official Gazette or in at least two (2) newspapers of
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general circulation.
Approved,