TUGUEGARAO CITY, Cagayan (PIA) — The Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) has announced an enhancement to its Z Benefit Package for Peritoneal Dialysis (PD) patients.
This initiative aligns with President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s directive to expand healthcare benefits and offer more comprehensive support to patients, even in the absence of government subsidies.
The upgraded package provides significantly increased financial coverage, offering benefits tailored-fit for both adult and pediatric patients.
For adults, annual coverage has been raised to between P389,640 and P510,140, a substantial increase from the previous cap of P270,000.
Pediatric patients will benefit from even higher coverage, with Continuous Ambulatory Peritoneal Dialysis (CAPD) benefits ranging from P510,000 to P765,210, and Automated Peritoneal Dialysis (APD) coverage now reaching up to P1.2 million. The enhanced package also includes essential services such as infection prevention, catheter insertion, outpatient care, laboratory diagnostics, and medications.
According to the National Kidney and Transplant Institute, peritoneal dialysis uses the patient’s peritoneal membrane as an artificial kidney, making it a critical treatment for individuals with kidney failure. Under the enhanced package, PhilHealth now covers CAPD for adults, while pediatric patients can avail of both CAPD and APD.
“Peritoneal dialysis is a vital treatment option for patients with Chronic Kidney Disease Stage 5, offering not only treatment alternatives but also improved care for patients,” said Cruz.
Cruz further mentioned that while the Cagayan Valley Medical Center (CVMC) continues to be the active contracted hospital for the Z Benefit Package for breast cancer, the contracting process for the PD Z Benefit Package hospital is currently underway, with updates expected from PhilHealth’s central office. (OTB/MFJ/PIA Region 2)
