Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City

EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS
First Regular Session

391

HOUSE BILL NO.

Introduced by HON. MA. LOURDES T. ARROYO

EXPLANATORY NOTE

It is the declared policy of the State to protect and promote the right to health of the
people and instill health consciousness among them.

The Department of Health (DOH) and the National Kidney and Transplant Institute
(NKTI) have identified renal disease as one of the top ten causes of death among Filipinos, One
Filipino develops chomic renal failure every hour, translating to about 120 Filipinos per million
population per year.

Dialysis patients need to get two to three treatments a week that will cost them about Php
20,000 to Php 30,000 per month. Cost of dialysis treatment for End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD)
patients is usually exorbitant and beyond reach of most patients, Renal transplant on the other
hand is costly and limited due to the shortage of donors.

Accessibility and availability of dialysis centers in the country remains limited,
Advanced hospital and medical equipment and facilities are mostly found in highly urbanized
cities. ESRD patients from rural areas have to travel all the way to these urban cities just to
receive the medical treatement they need. However, in cases of indigent ESRD patients, they
hardly even get a session of dialysis.

Aligned with the government’s mandate to provide Filipinos with comprehensive health
services, this proposed measure seeks to require all national, regional, and provincial government
hospitals to establish, operate and maintain a dialysis ward or unit and provide free dialysis
treatment to indigent patients

This provides more efficient delivery of health care services to our people and alleviates
the financial burden of our indigent patients undergoing dialysis treatment.

In view of the foregoing, immediate approval of this bill is earnestly sought.

_
2. tardea 7:
A. LOURDES T. ARROYO


Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City

EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS
First Regular Session

391
HOUSE BILL NO.

Introduced by HON. MA. LOURDES T. ARROYO.

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.”
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

g

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.

b

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.

9

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

d

Indigent patient ~ shall refer to a patient who have no visible means of income, or
whose income is insufficient for family subsistence, as identified by the Department
of Social Welfare and Development.

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 hospitals. 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 ESRD patients This free dialysis treatment is on top of the 90 free dialysis sessions
covered by PhilHealth,

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 Two Hundred Fifty Thousand Pesos
(Php 250,000) but not more than Five Hundred Thousand Pesos (Php 500,000).

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

SEC. & 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.

SEC. 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.

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

SEC. 11. Effectivity.- This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its publication
in the Official Gazette or in a newspaper of general circulation,

Approved,