PORAC -- The consultant who did the feasibility study of the proposed Porac Dialysis Center here assured that the project, if approved by town council, will be sustainable and result in servicing indigent patients in need of hemodialysis for free.

“The Dialysis Center will surely be sustainable and is in fact a worthwhile investment for the municipality,” Rocella Pangilinan, a certified public accountant said.

Pangilinan was tasked to do the feasibility study on the project. A graduate of the University of the Philippines, Pangilinan has worked in the business studies of medical institutions in Pampanga.

Pangilinan made the feasibility study based on the dialysis centers at the Pampanga Medical Specialist Hospital and Diosdado P. Macapagal Memorial Hospital (DPMMH).

“Instead of just giving the money to the patients, it is better to invest it on a Dialysis Center that way we can give long term service to them,” Pangilinan said, adding that giving financial assistance will never be enough.

Recently, Mayor Condralito Dela Cruz had proposed for the appropriation of P6,380,000 for the establishment of a dialysis center and an additional P1,670,000 for the Maintenance and Other Operating Expenses of the same center.

Dela Cruz came out over the press recently claiming that councilor Mike Tapang along with councilors Regine Clarete, Remberto Lapid, Rafael Canlapan and Ronaldo Gamboa are opposed to the project.

Tapang, in a recent interview, said that the money should instead be given directly to dialysis patients. But Pangilinan, during the presentation at the Sangguniang Bayan, said that it is more practical to invest on a center and give free dialysis sessions.

Pangilinan said that the center will initially operate with four dialysis machines operating at 2 shifts per day. Initial patients would be Philhealth card holders for its introductory operations.

The money earned from the Philhealth will then be used for the further operation of the center. She added that by the second year of operation the center would have increased the number of its machines to six.

“By the second year of operation the center will be able to operate on its own. It is only a one time investment for the town,” Pangilinan said, stressing that as the center increases the number of machines it would be able to give more free dialysis sessions to indigents.

By its second year of operation the dialysis center would have earned some P2 million at the end of December. The center will then be able to give 597 free sessions with six machines in operation.

Pangilinan said that on its third year the center would have been able to increase its machines to eight. She added that with the improvements in the number of machines running, the center would be able to service more indigent patients.

Pangilinan also showed the detailed plans for the location of the center. The center is initially proposed to be located in a donated lot with an existing structure that is expected to be fully refurbished once approved.

Tapang, during the session, expressed concern that the center may not be able to meet the number of target patients per session to fully meet its operational costs on the first year.

He added that it might just end up with the municipal government subsidizing the operational needs of the center.

Pangilinan insisted that the center is feasible and that the mere number of patients in the town needing dialysis treatment would be enough to meet the number of patients per session.

“The project is feasible and sustainable,” Pangilinan said.

The proposal for the dialysis center and its corresponding appropriations are awaiting approval at the Sangguniang Bayan.

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