NKTI dialysis center to become Southeast Asia’s largest – President Marcos
Story by Helen Flores
MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Friday inspected the ongoing construction of the National Kidney and Transplant Institute’s (NKTI) new 13-story hemodialysis building in Quezon City, which is expected to become the largest dialysis center in Southeast Asia upon its completion.
The facility, scheduled to open before the end of 2027, will house 200 state-of-the-art dialysis machines to help meet the growing demand for kidney care services in the country.
Joining the President during the inspection were Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa, Public Works Secretary Vince Dizon, and NKTI Executive Director Jose Dante Dator.
Marcos emphasized the urgency of expanding dialysis services, noting that more than 11 percent of Filipinos are affected by chronic kidney disease.
Public Works Secretary Vince Dizon said construction of the NKTI legacy building is expected to be completed by December 2027, with patient services set to begin in early 2028.
Aside from the new facility, the President highlighted the government’s efforts to improve access to dialysis treatment through expanded Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) benefits.
PhilHealth has increased its annual coverage for hemodialysis sessions to 156 treatments per year, while the benefit package per dialysis session has been raised to ₱6,350.
The government has also expanded PhilHealth’s Z Benefit Package for dialysis patients, providing annual coverage ranging from ₱389,640 to ₱500,140 for adult patients and ₱510,000 to as much as ₱1.2 million for pediatric patients.
The new NKTI building is expected to significantly enhance the country’s capacity to provide life-saving dialysis treatment and improve healthcare services for thousands of Filipinos living with chronic kidney disease.
Courtesy: The Philippine Star
