2 senators want NKTI, Heart Center to drop general COVID-19 referral hospital status by next year

Two senators on Wednesday wanted specialty hospitals to drop their classification as general COVID-19-referral hospitals and focus on their original mandate by next year.

Senators Pia Cayetano and Nancy Binay raised this at a Senate budget hearing where they tackled the proposed 2022 budgets of the National Kidney Transplant Institute (NKTI) and the Philippine Heart Center (PHC).

After her presentation, NKTI executive director Rose Marie Liquette confirmed that there is a drop in the number of kidney transplant operations due to COVID-19.

She said they had to protect the donors and the recipients of the kidney because sometimes they turn out to be positive for COVID-19.

It was Binay who asked NKTI if they can see that the specialty hospital could already drop its status as COVID-19 referral hospital by next year.

“Hindi ba nakikita for next year, na baka pwede ‘yung NKTI hindi na mag-accept ng COVID patients and they could just go back sa trabaho nila as a specialized hospital?” she asked.

(Is it possible that for next year, maybe we could let NKTI refuse accepting COVID patients and they could just go back to their operations as a specialized hospital?)

“I think this is something we can ask the DOH, ‘yung kumbaga moving forward, as we live with COVID, at some point, ‘yung (the) Heart Center, NKTI, should be back to their primary purpose,” Binay added.

Cayetano explained to NKTI that going back to their specialty does not necessarily mean that they won’t accept kidney patients who also deal with COVID-19.

“Your specialty is renal function. So if somebody has COVID or was exposed to COVID pero may (but they have) renal function [problem] siya, sa inyo (they will be referred to your hospital). Wala tayong problema du’n (We don't have a problem with that). What we are saying is, hindi na kayo magiging (you will no longer be) general referral for COVID,” she said.

In response, Liquette said: “Yes, hopefully.”

PHC executive director Joe Abanilla also hoped that they can go back to their main mandate, but he emphasized that most critical complication of COVID-19 patients are cardiovascular-related.

“A while ago, there was a mention na sana ang (that hopefully) specialty center go back to their previous mandate. How we wish, but the problem also like in one surge, 300 of our staff got COVID. We need to admit them too,” he said.

“Unfortunately, the most critical complication of COVID is cardiovascular as well,” he added.

Cayetano said they will take it up during the budget deliberations of the Department of Health proper.

“‘Yun ang gusto natin, na anyone with a heart problem na exposed sa COVID or whatever sa Heart Center pa rin. That’s our desire, that’s our vision for the future. We need to also ask the DOH,” Cayetano said.

(That's what we want. Anyone with a heart problem who was exposed to COVID or whatever, could be referred to the Heart Center. That’s our desire, that’s our vision for the future. We need to also ask the DOH.)—AOL, GMA News