Davao city: A new facility housing the largest dialysis and kidney transplant center in Mindanao is set to open here on Nov. 28, a nephrologist said on Monday. Dr. Ma. Theresa Bad-ang, a nephrologist and head of the Southern Philippines Medical Center-Human Advocate and Retrieval Effort (SPMC-SHARE), announced that the SPMC Kidney and Transplant Institute (SKTI) will be housed in a four-story building that includes a 62-bed capacity, four operating rooms, and a 100-bed dialysis center.

According to Philippines News Agency, the facility will also feature charity wards, private rooms, suites, and Mindanao's first immunology laboratory. 'We no longer need to send specimens to Manila for tissue typing. We'll have the capability here,' Bad-ang said. Located beside SPMC's heart center, the SKTI will offer various kidney care packages accessible to patients and serve as the advanced care center for kidney health in Mindanao under the Universal Health Care program.

Bad-ang noted that the new facility will alleviate the current strain on SPMC, which currently serves around 200 dialysis patients. There are approximately 3,000 patients undergoing dialysis in the region, a rise from 2,400 recorded last year. The increase, she explained, is partly due to the availability of free packages that cover dialysis costs. 'It's not necessarily good news because it shows complications are rising. We need to focus more on prevention,' she stated.

Additionally, Bad-ang highlighted that family consent remains a major challenge in deceased organ donation. She called for a more intensive public information campaign to raise awareness about its importance. The refusal of families to allow organ donation from patients with irreversible brain damage continues to be a setback. 'We will keep intensifying our efforts to educate the public on the value of organ donation,' she added.