Expert urges early screening, lifestyle changes, vigilance toward supplements
The Philippines could exhaust its healthcare resources if the rapid rise in chronic kidney disease (CKD) cases is left unchecked, a leading nephrologist has warned.
Speaking at the Hisgutan Ta media forum in Cebu, Dr. Juliet Chua Chong-Noel said the growing burden of kidney disease is already straining the system, particularly through the high cost of dialysis.
“If we don’t do anything about it, we’re going to deplete our resources,” said Dr. Noel, who is the treasurer of the Philippine Society of Nephrology.
In the first five months of 2025 alone, the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) paid P161 million for hemodialysis procedures at the National Kidney and Transplant Institute. In 2024, hemodialysis was the state insurer’s top paid medical procedure in the country.
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