PhilHealth members with chronic renal issues should avail of kidney transplant or peritoneal dialysis benefits, the state health insurer said.
“We urge our kidney patients to avail of these benefits to achieve a better quality of life,” PhilHealth CEO Emmanuel Ledesma Jr. said in Cebu on Friday where he received a recognition from the provincial board for PhilHealth’s decision to expand its hemodialysis coverage from 90 to 156 sessions.
Ledesma said PhilHealth is providing P600,000 for renal patients qualified under the Z Benefit for Kidney Transplantation and P270,000 for a year’s financial support to patients who opt to go on peritoneal dialysis under its Z Benefit for PD-First.
The state health insurer announced the expansion and institutionalization of its hemodialysis coverage through PhilHealth Circular 2023-0009 which took effect in June this year.
The increase in coverage is in accordance with the current standard for adequate hemodialysis that consists of three four-hour sessions per week.
PhilHealth members and their qualified dependents diagnosed with chronic kidney disease (CKD5) needing hemodialysis as prescribed by their nephrologists may avail themselves of the benefit package.
The state insurer also clarified that if the member and the dependent are both hemodialysis patients, they are qualified to avail of 156 hemodialysis sessions each.
CKD5 patients on hemodialysis can avail of as much as P405,600 per year at P2,600 per session.
“We express our gratitude to the Cebu Provincial Board led by Vice Governor Hilario Davide III for recognizing PhilHealth’s effort to ease the financial burden of our kababayans undergoing hemodialysis treatment,” Ledesma said.
“Rest assured that we will continue to commit ourselves in providing adequate financial risk protection to our members by enhancing and introducing new benefit packages,” he added.