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ON NATIONAL KIDNEY MONTH

REGALO urges Filipinos to help save lives, become organ donors

By RIE TAKUMI, GMA News

A coalition of healthcare providers launched the Renal Gift Allowing Life for Others (REGALO) Organ Donation Advocacy campaign on Thursday to dispel the stigma surrounding organ donation and kidney transplants.

Inaugurated at the National Kidney and Transplant Institute (NKTI), the campaign aims to increase awareness on organ donation, encourage Filipinos to voluntarily sign up for organ donor cards, and increase the number of organ transplantation performed in the country.

 


 

Kidney transplant least expensive, most effective

One of the factors that led to REGALO's formation is the low number of living and deceased organ donors in the country, compared to the increase in patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD).

ESRD is a disease mostly caused by hypertension and diabetes that necessitates hemodialysis (HD) or peritoneal dialysis (PD) to maintain the life of a patient or kidney transplant to treat.

According to the Philippine Renal Disease Registry, 18,603 new patients started dialysis in the beginning of 2015 and increased to 32,077 by December of the same year.

By contrast, only 475 Filipino patients or 3.4% received a kidney transplant in 2015.

Dr. Romina Danguilan, REGALO Organizing Committee Lead, said the NKTI alone receives 100 new patients on dialysis every month while "one Filipino dies from kidney failure every hour."


Having a kidney transplant is the only option for survival for most ESRD patients. It is also the most cost-effective way of treating the disease as HD per patient per year costs P405,600 while PD costs P279,180.

With 95% of patients in the country on HD, the cost of HD runs over P14 billion and P520,000 for PD.

Who is qualified to donate organs?

While relatives of those in need are preferred, strangers may also donate their organs as long as they pass the battery of tests — urinalysis, blood pressure taking, fasting blood sugar — for organ donation.

Donors can specify which of the 25 organs and tissues accepted they could donate for transplantation, including their kidney, heart, liver, lungs, pancreas, bone and cartilage, bone marrow, corneas, and skin.

Donors can be strangers or relatives, as in the case of Gabrielle Anne Gabaton.

Gabaton, a merit scholar and Management Engineering and Economics-Honors double-major at the Ateneo de Manila University, is one such case as she ended a near year-long journey of kidney treatment by receiving one of her father's kidneys on February 10.

Her donor and father, Engr. Jumel Gubaton, said the process was relatively painless for him despite the long preparation it takes for donors to be suitable for donation and reported no ill effects months after the process.

 


 

Relatives must also be informed of the donor's decision to sign their organs up to avoid incidences of their family refusing to give up their organs in case of brain death.

“What's important is for your family members to know what to do in case something happens to you. Dapat boy scouts at girl scouts tayo, laging handa," Health Secretary Paulyn Jean Rosell-Ubial said.

REGALO, with the Department of Health (DOH), is also strongly advocating against paid organ transplantation as stated under Republic Act 9208 or the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act of 2003.

Gov't initiative for more organ transplants

REGALO is also pushing for engagement with legislators and policymakers to create stronger legislative and policy frameworks on organ donation and review existing laws and guidelines on transplantation and organ donation.

 


The DOH are also pushing for more kidney and other organ transplant and dialysis treatment centers outside NCR by way of satellite clinics.

It is also working to build the capacity of 21 private and government hospitals across the 18 regions of the country for kidney transplant services and increase the number of government hospitals alone with this capability to 24.

“Marami pong programa at ang isa na dito ay ma-uplift ang ating programa on transplantation, ma-improve ang buhay ng ating pasyente sa dialysis at ma-reach out natin, so we can reach out to all these patients through renal satellite centers," Dr. Rose Marie Rosete-Liquete, NKTI Executive Director, said.

The DOH is also pushing Philheath's Z Package and Medical Assistance Program to allow indigent Filipinos access to tertiary care and high-tech surgeries.

“Yan po ang ninanais ng ating pangulo, President Rodrigo Roa Duterte, na hindi po magiging dahilan ang kahirapan para hindi po mabigyan ng karampatang serbisyong medical o health service ang ating mga kababayan,” Ubial said.

REGALO was founded by Maria Corazon Torres Y Javier Foundation (MCTJF), Kidney Foundation of the Philippines (KFP), and Kidney Transplant of the Philippines (KITAP) in partnership with Novartis Healthcare Philippines and is partnered with the NKTI. — AT, GMA News

Tags: nationalkidneymonth, kidney, organdonation, organdonor
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