THE Rizal Medical Center (RMC) and The Medical City (TMC) signed an agreement to make liver transplants more affordable to Filipinos.
Dr. Maria Vanessa de Villa, director of TMC’s Center for Liver Disease Management and Transplantation, said the collaboration was timely due to increasing cases of liver diseases in the country.
“I saw that the way to move forward is with the government because they have more resources,” de Villa said during the signing ceremony at TMC’s main facility in Ortigas on Thursday.
She added that the RMC was an ideal partner because of its strong hepato-pancreato-biliary unit with trained surgeons in liver transplantation.
“We don’t just work alone anymore; this might work, and then we did research and then there was the public-private partnership, so I said this might work,” de Villa said.
RMC Medical Center chief Dr. Rica Lumague said the partnership would address issues including cost, which could be resolved by creating a liver transplantation package under the Philippine Health Insurance Corp.
“If we fix the costing, then we will find a way to make it affordable to the needy. This is going to be our assignment,” she added.
The partnership, the two doctors said, would increase awareness on organ donation among Filipinos.
“There are rules; the problem is that Filipinos do not know it, so we need to have an information and education campaign. We need to push for organ donation,” de Villa said.
Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa said the initiative could lower the cost of liver transplants in the Philippines, noting India has been offering a competitive price for the procedure.
“That is my challenge to you: if you offer me a cost that is competitive to India, I will give you liver transplantation in the 87 hospitals under the Department of Health,” he added.
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