NEGROS OCCIDENTAL (PIA) — A government physician says a kidney transplant is the best treatment for patients with end-stage renal disease whose kidneys are no longer functioning.
“ What we do in kidney transplantation is we get kidneys from a healthy donor then we give it to the patient with chronic kidney disease and as a result, this will extend their life because it enhances survival and quality of life of the patient,” Dr. Edelberto Go of the Corazon Locsin Montelibano Memorial Regional Hospital (CLMMRH) said.
He said he is advocating for kidney transplantation although it is a less popular option compared to dialysis.
According to Dr. Go the kidney transplant package in CLMMRH is P1.2 million covering expenses from admission to discharge and Philhealth covers half of the cost at P600,000. The Malasakit Center could also help lessen the expenses, he added.
He said that the transplant option looks costly at a glance, but in the long run, the benefit is far better and reasonable compared to other forms of renal therapy.
According to him, dialysis requires a patient to visit the facility two or three times a week, which is an expensive and time-consuming routine.
On the other hand in a kidney transplant, the patient does not need to go to a dialysis center but takes medicine so that his or her body does not reject the organ. They could also go back to work and earn on their own, he said.
The patient “should not smoke and drink alcohol because it goes against the medicine prescribed,” he noted.
Kidney donors could be the patient’s family members, relatives, and friends. They could also be from an organ donation program, he said.
Dr. Go revealed kidney transplant in CLMMRH started in 2016. He said that out of the five transplants the medical team has performed so far, none of the patients have rejected the organ or experienced any complications during their stay in the hospital. (AAL/Lljr/PIA6 Occidental Negros)
