It’s truly expensive to be poor. This cold reality was borne again by the recent near-death experience of kidney patient Bryan Kelly Becaca. The young man was close to death for skipping two consecutive sessions of his thrice-a-week hemodialysis treatment due to fund lack.
His close call has become a familiar occurrence for kidney patients who have to continuously contend with the prohibitive costs of having to maintain their twice- or thrice-a-week hemodialysis treatment to survive.
This grim scenario becomes more common as the year ends, when patients have exhausted the free 90 dialysis sessions-per-year support package from Philhealth, the country’s medical care insurance system.
With three-times-a-week dialysis schedule, a patient has to undergo 156 sessions a year. That’s 66 sessions more than the 90-session support from Philhealth, forcing many patients to spend their days looking for other fund support to cover the shortfall.
This discrepancy is aggravated by the fact that the Philhealth support is also being whittled down by medical confinement that kidney patients are likely to undergo, equivalent to one session per day of hospitalization.
“That’s why I hesitate to be confined even when it’s the doctor’s advice, as my Philhealth allocation would be used up, with nothing left for my dialysis,” a patient admitted.
Without complications, dialysis costs P2,200 per session. One undergoing such blood-cleansing regimen of four hours, three times a week has to fork out P26,400 a month, excluding payments for regular twice-a-week hemoglobin-inducing injections and medications.
The prohibitive cost of maintaining dialysis for a life-time , a patient noted, is like being tied to a treadmill that keeps on gaining speed until one gets thrown off into oblivion.
With the year ending, the common goal is to be able to make it to next January, when Bryan and those like him will be entitled to another 90 dialysis treatment support from Philhealth’s, his mother Claudia said last week at the dialysis center of the Baguio General Hospital and Medical Center.
“That’s why the new year is so significant to us, for it marks a fresh support in our life-time struggle to be alive,” observed another patient. An orphan who had practically knocked on all the doors of elected officials to seek dialysis support fund through their PDAF (Priority Development Assistance Fund), had survived the affliction for years .
Despite the will to live, such tenacity is hard to come by, as many patients like Bryan are unable to access support from these politicians who are given government funds to allocate for the purpose.
As a result, Bryan failed to undergo dialysis for two consecutive times and almost lost his life as a consequence. He suffered from respiratory congestion and had to be rushed to the hospital where he underwent emergency dialysis , with or without immediate payment.
By then, it was almost too late, with his sister continuously pressing an Ambu bag to help stabilize his breathing while he was hooked to the dialysis machine.
“We have exhausted the kindness of relatives and friends who lent us money for my son’s previous dialysis treatments, and we need help now more than ever so he can make it until the end of the year, when the 90-session Philhealth support will again be in effect,” Claudia, said.
The sixth and only boy among seven children of a laborer in Luneta Loacan, Itogon, Benguet, Bryan had planned to study architecture but his dream was shattered in June, 2014 when he was diagnosed for end-stage renal failure.
People who can help in this season of sharing may call Bryan’s cellphone: 09466603344. They may get in touch with him or the hospital dialysis staff during his treatment schedule scheduled at 11 a.m on Mondays and Fridays at the B/Brown Dialysis Center fronting the Baguio General Hospital and at 11 a.m on Wednesdays at the BGHMC center. ** Ramon Dacawi
