ANTIQUE — The Provincial Government of Antique is set to expand its hemodialysis services by 2027 through the upgrade of an existing dialysis center in San Jose de Buenavista and the establishment of a new facility in Sibalom to accommodate the growing number of patients requiring treatment.
Gov. Paolo Javier said the province is exploring a partnership with the private sector to renovate an entire floor of the Angel Salazar Memorial General Hospital (ASMGH) and convert it into a larger dialysis center with additional treatment chairs.
“At present, our dialysis center at ASMGH lacks enough treatment chairs, and some of the existing units are already old and need replacement,” Javier said.
The proposed expansion was presented by Iloilo-based Josmef Medical Corporation during a meeting with the governor and hospital chiefs in Antique.
Josmef Medical Corporation has been operating 12 dialysis treatment chairs at ASMGH since 2022 under an agreement with the provincial government. Under the new proposal, the company plans to add eight more treatment chairs to increase the hospital’s dialysis capacity.
The company also committed to funding the construction of a new dialysis treatment center at the Ramon Maza Sr. Memorial District Hospital (RMSMDH) in Sibalom.
According to Javier, the new facility will help ease congestion at ASMGH and improve access to dialysis services for patients from central and southern Antique.
Some patients have been forced to seek dialysis treatment in Iloilo due to the lack of available slots in Antique’s existing facilities, he noted.
“We are improving our hospital services here in Antique so patients will no longer have to travel far just to receive treatment,” the governor said.
Currently, the ASMGH Dialysis Center operates 17 treatment chairs, including five units provided by the Department of Health. The facility serves around 150 patients who require up to three dialysis sessions weekly, resulting in a demand for approximately 450 treatments every week.
However, the center can accommodate only about 306 to 408 dialysis sessions weekly, leaving a shortage of 42 to 144 treatment slots.
Once completed, the new RMSMDH dialysis center will add 12 treatment chairs, increasing Antique’s total dialysis capacity to 32 chairs.
Provincial officials said the expansion could raise the province’s maximum treatment capacity to as many as 576 dialysis sessions per week, significantly improving access to life-saving treatment for patients suffering from kidney disease across Antique./PN
