Philhealth members who need a kidney transplant at the National Kidney and Transplant Institute (NKTI) will be provided with access to evidence-based treatment protocols and high-quality anti-organ rejection medicines.
This was made possible as Novartis Healthcare Philippines entered into a memorandum of agreement with Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) and NKTI.
Top officials of the three organizations signed the MOA in a formal ceremony held Monday in the Diagnostic Building of NKTI, the leading kidney transplant center in Asia.
Surgical procedure
Kidney transplant is recommended for patients with end-stage renal disease. It is a surgical procedure to place a functioning kidney from a donor into a person whose kidneys no longer function properly. After a kidney transplant, the patient must take medications to help prevent his or her body from rejecting the donor kidney (organ rejection).
“In patients who develop acute organ rejection, the transplanted kidney on average survives 8.8 years. In organ rejection-free patients, the average transplanted kidney survival lasts up to almost 18 years. This is why effective anti-organ rejection medicines are crucial in kidney transplantation,” said Thomas Weigold, country president and managing director, Novartis Healthcare Philippines.
“Novartis entered into the MOA to support the PhilHealth Z benefit package for catastrophic illnesses that push patients into prolonged, costly hospitalization and financial bankruptcy,” said Stephanie Franco, business franchise head for Integrated Hospital Care, Critical Care and Bone, Novartis Healthcare Philippines.
Kidney transplant package
Under the MOA, NKTI will offer the Novartis Kidney Transplant Package to qualified patients. This package adopts the internationally accepted induction-based protocol, which uses quality kidney transplantation medicines and is proven to provide long-term patient benefits. These benefits include improved patient and donor kidney survival, strict adherence to evidence-based treatment protocols, efficient patient monitoring through registries, savings from reduced hospitalization costs, and enhanced access to medicines for transplant patients.
“The Z benefit package is part of PhilHealth’s transformation aimed at holistically addressing the needs of members, particularly poor patients. In partnership with the private sector, we are committed to providing every Filipino with access to quality health care,” said PhilHealth president and CEO Dr. Eduardo P. Banzon.
In 2010, there were about 10,000 new Filipino patients with kidney failure who started dialysis (peritoneal and hemodialysis). According to NKTI deputy executive director for Medical Services Dr. Jose Dante P. Dator, this number increases by 10 percent each year and about half of these patients are medically qualified for a kidney transplant.
Another milestone
NKTI, Asia’s leading kidney transplant center, is set to reach another milestone in its history by achieving the distinction of successfully performing 5,000 kidney transplant surgeries, the largest number by a single institution. “We envision that NKTI’s partnership with PhilHealth and Novartis will enhance Filipino patients’ access to a life-saving procedure,” Dator said.
“We are confident that this innovative public-private partnership will help save more lives. Many patients have already expressed interest in availing themselves of the kidney transplant package,” said Dr. Romina A. Danguilan, chair, NKTI Department of Adult Nephrology.