Sagada June 27 sun walk slated for dialysis patients

By Gina Dizon

SAGADA Mountain Province -- A “sunrise walk for a cause” shall be held on June 27 at Marlboro Hills, Antadao here in this tourist town. Conducted by the Sagada Rural Health  Unit, the walk charges P300 registration fee per person for a T-shirt and coffee with sandwich.

Dr Jesebel Diazen,  Municipal  RHU officer said the registration fees shall be distributed among 12  dialysis patients residing in Sagada.

The sunrise walk was preceded by a kidney forum attended by some hundred participants from town who were reminded to be cautious on what they eat and drink.  

Testimonials from three dialysis patients mentioned their kidney ailment is traced from regularly drinking soda especially energy drinks and another for eating unregulated food with high cholesterol fats.

Another patient talked of taking in unprescribed pain killers at irregular time whenever the pain of arthritis hits.  

A dialysis patient is charged P2,500 per treatment in hospitals which offer this.

In Mountain Province, the treatment is done at Luis Hora Memorial Hospital a Bauko and at Bontoc General Hospital. And for one who resides far from said hospitals incurs more expenses.

Dialysis treatment costs a big amount if handled personally much as it cuts off a sizable amount from the budget of a family including food, education, utilities such as light and communications and health.     

Philhealth gives for free the cost of 90 treatment sessions per year. And for one who has three sessions per week has to handle the rest of the sessions in a year. One treated with three sessions a week in a year shall have 166 to 170 treatments. And for one having two sessions a week per year has some 110  treatments a year shall let the patient handle the cost of the rest of the cost of the sessions a year less free 90 sessions given by Philhealth.

As the doctor says, prevention is better than cure. Avoid dialysis. Avoid diabetes. Be warned with eating unhealthy food and drinks.