ILOILO – Hemodialysis centers will soon rise in all 12 district hospitals in the province of Iloilo.
The Sangguniang Panlalawigan (SP) approved on third and final reading a provincial ordinance authorizing the establishment of the facilities through a lease agreement with a private company.
Under Provincial Ordinance No. 2025-340, the provincial government has greenlit the unsolicited proposal of Panay Medical Ventures Inc. (PMVI), a subsidiary of the Ayala Group of Companies, to lease spaces within or beside district hospital premises for the construction and operation of dialysis centers.
The ordinance, authored by 3rd District Board Member Jason Gonzales, also empowers Gov. Arthur Defensor Jr. to enter into a contract with PMVI in accordance with the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Code of the Philippines and its implementing rules and regulations.
Unlike a traditional PPP setup, the lease agreement will allow the province to retain full oversight while the private firm shoulders the operation and staffing of the centers. The provincial government, for its part, will be in charge of monitoring compliance and performance.
Under the lease terms, PMVI will pay P500 per square meter monthly if the dialysis facility is constructed within the hospital building, and P200 per square meter monthly if built on adjacent hospital land. The lease will run for an initial 10 years, renewable for another 10 years based on mutual agreement. Rent is set to increase by five percent starting on the second year of operation.
Gonzales said the lease setup is more beneficial than a full PPP, where private firms may take control of the board of directors and where government income depends on net revenue. He also pointed out that building dialysis centers with government funds would be financially daunting, as each facility could cost as much as P44 million.
Governor Defensor welcomed the SP’s approval and PMVI’s proposal, noting that the provincial government does not have the budget to establish dialysis centers on its own.
“This project will help decongest city-based hospitals and reduce the burden on our constituents who travel long distances just to access dialysis services,” Defensor said.
The initiative is expected to significantly improve access to life-saving dialysis treatment, especially for residents in far-flung municipalities./PN
