OVER one million Filipinos suffering from chronic kidney disease (CKD) stand to benefit from the ACT NOW (Addressing Complications Today through Network of Warriors) program which will be implemented in 12 provinces of the country.
This, as the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) signed on Tuesday a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with AstraZeneca Philippines.
Other signatories to the MOU were Diabetes Philippines, Philippine Association of Diabetes Educators (PADE) and Association of Diabetes Nurse Educators of the Philippines (ADNEP), and the 12 target provinces where ACT NOW will initially be implemented .
“In our fight against CKD, what is important is awareness. This is why the Department partnered with the ACT NOW program – this is an advocacy for our future and our children,” DILG Secretary Benhur Abalos said during the MOU signing at the EDSA Shangri-La Hotel.
The ACT NOW Program aims to fight cardio-renal complications of diabetes and hypertension, and create further awareness on CKD through risk factor identification and early screening.
Under the MOU, each of the 12 provinces will receive a uACR (Urine Albumin Creatinine Ratio Test) machine which is an integral tool in CKD screening and prevention.
“I was informed that one uACR machine that they will donate will be serving 20,000 patients. In the 12 provinces, these machines will serve over 1 million Filipinos,” Abalos said.
He thanked the provinces of Aurora, Sorsogon, Agusan Del Sur, Samar and Iloilo.
He likewise thanked Cebu, Quezon, Cavite, Zamboanga Del Norte, Sarangani, and Quirino for their initiative in serving as “warriors” of the ACT-NOW program.
“I do believe the LGUs can do and make a difference here – from the governors and the mayors, down to the barangay health workers,” he added.
Abalos explained current statistics indicate a 46% increase in the number of Filipino patients with CKD.
“The statistics do not lie. Masyado na itong nakakatakot. Every year, PhilHealth spends P17 billion alone on dialysis treatment,” Abalos pointed out.
He continued: “If we are not going to do anything about this, soon, 1 out of 8 Filipinos will be suffering from CKD.”
Abalos also encouraged localities to prioritize early detection within their own communities, emphasizing that the fight against CKD is won through early detection and prevention.
With the MOU signing, the provincial signatories will open more sites to give Filipinos greater access to free risk assessment, micral, and uACR tests, which detect the presence of albumine in the urine – one of the earliest indicators of kidney disease.
In addition, a total of 18 cities and provinces across the country have now officially partnered with the ACT NOW program, with 11 sites in Luzon, four sites in Visayas, and three sites in Mindanao.
