The South Cotabato provincial government has stepped up preparations for the full operation by July of its own dialysis center at the provincial hospital in Koronadal City.

Dr. Conrado Braña, chief of the South Cotabato Provincial Hospital (SCPH), said Thursday they have started the installation of the necessary equipment at the facility following the completion of its delivery early this week.

Braña said the PHP10-million equipment consists of 10 hemodialysis machines with water system facilities and other accessories.

The facility includes a central treatment and distribution unit, reprocessing machine, sodium bicarbonate mixer, dialyzer rack, digital wheelchair weighing scale, 10 dialysis chairs, and 10 automatic voltage regulators.

Braña said they are currently finalizing the necessary prerequisites for the opening of the center “the soonest possible time,” including the license to operate from the Department of Health.

The manpower complement for the facility and the mechanics for the prioritization of beneficiaries are already in place, he said.

“The long wait is over, soon our constituents can finally avail of free dialysis services at the provincial hospital,” Braña said in a statement.

Once fully operational, the official acknowledged that they may not be able to accommodate all patients in the province due to the limited capacity.

He said they are planning to utilize seven of the 10 acquired dialysis machines for the first phase of the center’s operation.

Braña said they can still expand its operations to accommodate more patients, depending on the budget allocation. (PNA)