My New Year's Wish for Hemodialysis Patients in the Philippines (especially Cebu)

Nice to be blogging once again. Been busy with work for the past months and before I realized, a new year is about to start. In between work, I undergo dialysis sessions and boy, there are so many stories there, a lot of them quite sad. And so i am writing my New Year's wish with the hope that somebody out there may be able to do something about these, not for me, but for my fellow hemodialysis patients. Here goes...

1. I wish more dialysis centers are put up in the rural areas or areas outside Cebu City. A lot of hemodialysis patients come from far away places travelling for hours early in the morning to beat the rush hour and to have their dialysis on the same day then either reach home near midnight or sleep in the floor or waiting areas before going home the next morning.

2. I wish Philhealth will provide more free sessions. The life of perhaps almost all hemodialysis patients in government dialysis centers depends on outside funding sources -- from "pork barrel", medical assistance funds, local government assistance funds, PCSO, etc. No funding, no dialysis. In Visayan expression, that's what you call, "Paet!"

3. I wish Hospital dialysis centers pay more attention to staffing needs. Hemodialysis nurses are not there just to insert the needle for hemodialysis and remove it. Patients have to be monitored. Their comfort must be ensured. Their physical complaints and health problems must be heard so they can be addressed accordingly. Patients need human touch, a listening ear and comforting words. With somebody listening to you and chatting with you, hemodialysis becomes something to look forward to, a welcome break, instead of being an experience you can't wait to get over with,

Also, patients need health teachings. With adequate staffing, potential problems like patients' companions coming in and out of the hemodialysis center will be avoided. Infection control problems will be minimized. For hemodialysis centers operating almost 24/7, "in-house" technicians should be always available as hemodialysis units are expected to break down with a heavy workload.

4. I wish all hemodialysis centers have "stay-in" doctors or physicians assigned solely for the hemodialysis unit in all dialysis session shifts. This doctor or these doctors will respond to emergency situations in the center. Also, they will provide health teachings or patient education or awareness aside from checking up and making rounds to all hemodialysis patients in the center especially in government dialysis centers where a lot of patients don't have their own nephrologist. You will be surprised a lot of these patients do not know exactly why there are on dialysis. they were just told that they have kidney failure and they have to undergo dialysis but as to why, they have no idea. In the hemodialysis waiting area, a lot of misconceptions and inaccurate health information are shared by patients themselves or their relatives to other hemodialysis patients and/or their relatives.

5. I wish processing of patient's request for hemodialysis becomes easier which includes registration, availing of labs, availing of hemodialysis supplies and medications is much easier especially in government centers. Remember, dialysis patients cannot tolerate walking at quite long distances. Express lanes catering only to hemodialysis patients within the hemodialysis complex is ideal since hemodialysis is not a one-time thing for patients and there will always be patients undergoing hemodialysis. They don't need to walk in various areas of the hospital for processing causing undue delays.

There you have it...my most important wish list for this New Year. I just hope somebody who can do something will be able to read this.

Meanwhile let's greet new year full of hope and positivity