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DOH concerned over rising chronic kidney disease cases among children
The Department of Health said the cases of chronic kidney disease are rising.
The Department of Health (DOH) has raised concern over the increasing number of chronic kidney disease (CKD) cases in the Philippines, including among children, prompting a renewed call to strengthen primary care and prevention programs nationwide.
'Tama iyan ano, mayroon ding bata na nakita si Presidente kanina doon sa dialysis center,' said DOH Secretary Teodoro Herbosa during a Malacañang press briefing on Wednesday. (That's right, the President even saw a child at the dialysis center earlier.)
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has since ordered the development of a CKD prevention program to address the root causes of the disease, such as diabetes and hypertension.
'Ang CKD natin ngayon karamihan dahil sa diabetes at hypertension... inatasan ako na palakasin iyong primary care prevention part,' Herbosa said. (Most of our CKD cases today are due to diabetes and hypertension… the President instructed me to strengthen our primary care prevention.)
He also pointed to the need for lifestyle changes, especially among the youth.
'Mataas siguro iyong sugar content ng ating mga kinakain, gawan ng paraan para mabawasan ito... iyong ating mga kabataan mabigyan ng tamang ehersisyo or active,' he added.
(Maybe our food has too much sugar—we need to find ways to reduce it… our young people need proper exercise and physical activity.)
Herbosa emphasized that encouraging healthy habits is more cost-effective in the long run: 'Kapag ang tao ay kumakain nang tama, hindi masyadong matatamis, hindi magkaka-diabetes iyan. Kapag hindi nagka-diabetes iyan, hindi magkakaroon ng chronic kidney disease.'
(If a person eats properly and avoids too much sugar, they won't get diabetes. Without diabetes, they won't develop chronic kidney disease.)
Meanwhile, PhilHealth president and CEO Dr. Edwin Mercado said the agency has allocated around ?300 billion for its total benefit packages in 2025, which includes support for kidney transplant patients and dialysis services.
'Ang huli po naming tantiya ay aabot na po ng mga ?300 billion po ang aming total benefit package na nakalaan po ngayong taong ito,' Mercado confirmed.
(Our latest estimate is that the total benefit package for this year will reach about ?300 billion.)
PhilHealth's benefit budget for 2026 is currently being planned, with projections based on disease prevalence and expected program expansion.
Mercado also addressed concerns about coverage under PhilHealth's Z Benefit Package, which includes kidney transplants. For ward patients, the package fully covers the procedure, including professional fees. For private room patients, the coverage is negotiated with doctors and may require additional agreements between patient and provider.
'Iyong tinatawag namin na Z Package... kapag po doon sa mga ward accommodation... dapat po ay wala nang babayaran,' Mercado said.
(In the Z Package, when the procedure is done in ward accommodation, there should be no more out-of-pocket costs.)
'For private [rooms], it's negotiated with doctors… substantially, yes [doctor's fees are covered],' he added, clarifying that excess charges must be discussed before the procedure.
Asked about proposed amendments to the Universal Health Care Act—which may reduce PhilHealth premiums from 5% to 3–3.5%—Mercado confirmed that impact studies are underway.
'Gumawa po kami ng pag-aaral... may 3.5%, may 4%, may 4.5%, may 5%—at tiningnan po namin iyong impact doon sa lifespan po ng pondo,' he said. (We conducted studies with various scenarios—3.5%, 4%, 4.5%, 5%—and evaluated their impact on the fund's sustainability.)
To ensure continuity of services, PhilHealth is also enhancing internal systems to fast-track claim processing and reduce turnaround times.
'Ramdam po nila iyong pag-iigsi ng claims cycle po namin,' Mercado said, noting improvements from 40-day processing to an average of 23 days in many regions, with some achieving 15 days.
PhilHealth is now targeting a seven-day processing time and is working with partner banks to shift from weekly to daily claim disbursements.
As part of broader reforms, PhilHealth is reprocessing nearly ?9 billion worth of previously denied claims, especially those filed late between 2018 and 2024. The current rate of denied or returned claims has dropped from over 10% to around 4%.
'Ngayon po na medyo nahabol na natin, iyon naman pong pabalik ang aming tutukan,' Mercado said. (Now that we've addressed incoming claims, we'll shift focus to backlogs from previous years.)—LDF, GMA Integrated News
