BACOLOD City – A bill seeking the creation of a heart and kidney center in this capital city was filed before the House of Representatives.
Rep. Greg Gasataya said House Bill No. 7454 will be discussed when Congress resumes session on July 23.
The bill aims to create and appropriate funds for the “Bacolod-Negros Heart and Kidney Center,” Gasataya added.
Cardiovascular and kidney diseases are among the top causes of death in the country, according to Gasataya.
He added that around 276 Filipinos die due to heart attack everyday while 28,215 undergo dialysis regularly.
“Patients suffering from cardiovascular and kidney diseases from all over the country have no other choice but to go to the Philippine Heart Center and the National Kidney and Transplant Institute in Metro Manila just to avail [themselves] of specialized medical assistance from the government due to lack of local facilities that can accommodate their medical needs,” Gasataya said.
Every week, many Bacolodnons with heart or kidney problems are coming to his office asking for help, the congressman added.
“The deficiency on tertiary government medical facilities places an additional burden on patients, especially the poor, through added expenses such as travel fare, lodging and miscellaneous expenditures,” Gasataya stressed.
In Negros Occidental, only two government-owned dialysis centers and a lone tertiary government hospital cater to patients with cardiovascular and kidney diseases.
Gasataya said a P1-billion budget is needed for the initial operation and maintenance of the proposed Bacolod-Negros Heart and Kidney Center./PN
