By Franklin P. Gumapon
DIPOLOG CITY, Oct. 3
(PIA) - - “Eighty percent of patients suffering from kidney disease are
diabetics.”
This was disclosed
by Dr. Michael U. Abutazil, renal transplantation head of the Western Mindanao
Medical Center (WMMC) in Zamboanga City and regional Renal Disease Control
Program (REDCOP) coordinator in a radio interview conducted here over dxAA
recently.
Dr. Abutazil said the
three major causes of renal disease are diabetes, hypertension and infection in
the kidney.
“Ten years of being
hypertensive may develop kidney disease,” stressed Abutazil.
He also advised the
listening public to maintain a healthy lifestyle before any ailment, adding
that “smoking, alcoholic intake, fatty and salty foods are harmful to the
body.”
In a related development,
Abutazil disclosed that WMMC is now capable of performing kidney
transplantation for renal patients. Its first kidney transplantation was done
in October last year.
WMMC’s kidney
transplantation package would cost a patient more or less P850,000.
But the Philippine
Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth), is now giving a subsidy of P625,000
to each member who would undergo kidney transplantation.
“With the PhilHealth subsidy, the patient may only
shell out P160,000 for his kidney transplantation at WMMC,” Abutazil said.
The hospital has
already transplanted kidneys to three patients and they are all going well
“with no evidence of rejection.”
Renal disease is
now considered a medical problem nationwide. (JPA/FPG/PIA-Zamboanga del Norte)