By Benjamin Cuaresma
MANILA — Manila is taking another step toward bringing critical healthcare services directly into communities as Mayor Francisco “Isko” Moreno Domagoso led the groundbreaking Thursday, August 13, of a new hemodialysis center at the Pedro Gil Residences.
The facility will occupy the ground floor of the city government’s in-city vertical housing project, putting dialysis treatment within the immediate reach of residents who otherwise face the cost, inconvenience and physical strain of traveling to distant medical facilities.
“Today, we, the private sector and your city government, entered into an agreement to bring it closer to the community,” Domagoso said.
The mayor said Manila already operates dialysis facilities at Santa Ana Hospital and Ospital ng Maynila, while a facility at Gat Andres Bonifacio Medical Center is also being revived as part of the city’s effort to expand access to treatment.
Domagoso underscored the crushing financial burden faced by families dealing with kidney disease, noting that patients requiring regular dialysis can spend enormous amounts of money simply to stay alive.
“Mahirap ang dialysis. Ang dialysis procedure, napakarami na naging milyonaryo, dumami na po ang milyonaryo sa pagda-dialysis kasi dati silang bilyonaryo,” he said.
His remarks highlighted a harsh reality for poor families: dialysis is not a one-time medical expense but a continuing treatment that can drain household savings and push vulnerable families further into poverty.
That is why, Domagoso said, bringing the service closer to communities matters.
He called on the city’s private-sector partners, the national government, the Department of Health and PhilHealth to continue working together to make essential healthcare more accessible.
“Ang pribado, national, pribado, lokal, nagsama-sama to deliver services just in your doorstep,” the mayor said.
Domagoso linked the project to his administration’s Minimum Basic Needs (MBN) program, built around four priorities: housing, education, healthcare and jobs.
The dialysis center reflects that approach by integrating healthcare into a government housing development, allowing residents to access a vital medical service without leaving their community.
The mayor thanked the private partners involved in the project, along with Manila Health Department Director Dr. Grace Padilla and DOH consultant Dr. Paz Corrales.
He also credited the Manila City Council for approving the project a day before the groundbreaking, as well as barangay officials, health workers and city personnel who attended the ceremony despite the rain.
For Manila, the Pedro Gil dialysis center is more than another medical facility. It represents an attempt to bring one of the most financially and physically demanding forms of long-term treatment closer to the families who need it most.
ia/xf
