The South Cotabato provincial government is now fast-tracking the opening of its dialysis center located inside the provincial hospital here.

Dr. Conrado Braña, chief of the South Cotabato Provincial Hospital (SCPH), said in a statement on Tuesday they have completed all the necessary requirements, including the staff who will be assigned to the facility.

Braña said due to the demand of the profession, finding a dialysis technologist required by the Technology Society of the Philippines to head the dialysis center was a challenge for them.

“A technologist in South Cotabato can only hold a maximum of three dialysis centers, two immediately applied, and we are thankful that God provided us with these specialists for the free dialysis services,” he said.

After submitting all the requirements of the medical specialists, Braña said they are now waiting for the evaluation of the Department of Health (DOH) on the matter.

Once the provincial government gets its license to operate the facility, he said its services will immediately be made available to dialysis patients.

“Our machines are installed, we have also hired employees who will be manning the facility,” Braña said.

The dialysis center is equipped with PHP10 million worth of facilities that includes 10 dialysis machines, a dialysis chair and automatic voltage regulator, a central treatment, distribution, reprocessing machine; a sodium bicarbonate mixer, a dialyzer rack, and digital wheelchair weighing scale.

Governor Reynaldo Tamayo said once the dialysis center at the SCPH proves successful, the provincial government will expand the project in the municipal hospitals of Polomolok and Norala. (PNA)