MANILA — The Lung Center of the Philippines (LCP) and the National Kidney and Transplant Institute (NKTI), two of the country’s known public specialty hospitals, will collaborate to improve the quality of lung transplantation in the country.

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LCP-NKTI Lung Transplant Program chairperson Dr. Edmund Villaroman on Tuesday said that while the LCP has long been offering lung transplantation since 1993, there were some challenges in the procedure, especially in finding donors for the lung patients.

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“We get the organs from donors, or volunteers who are brain dead, and NKTI has put up the human organ procurement effort (HOPE). This is the organ procurement organization that has its network in different hospitals and they are the ones who provided the donors for us,” he told ABS-CBN News.

Only those who have severe and progressive lung conditions that cannot be treated by any other medical procedures or medications will be qualified for lung transplant.

They will be referred to the program by a specialist such as a pulmonologist and will undergo “work up procedures” including interviews, history taking, and other medical preparations for them to be enlisted.

“Ito na lang kumbaga iyong last resort. Hindi naman namin ito ino-offer as a first line of treatment sa advanced na disease. Rather kapag talagang despite ng lahat, na-exhaust na lahat ng gamot na pwede ibigay eh lumalala pa rin,” he explained.

“So maraming pwedeng dahilan, pwede dahil tinatawag COPD or emphysema, pwede iyan na nasira ang baga because of infection like bronchiectasis, or iyong connective tissue disorder that affects the lung,” he added.

The program prepares a list of patients qualified and they are prioritized based on their medical condition.

“Iyong tinatawag na allocation ng organs kapag na-enlist namin, whether you are a paying patient or charity patient, mayroon kaming ginagamit na lung allocation score. And this an objective score, hindi ito kasama kung whether kaya mo magbayad o hindi, but iyong lung allocation score pinapaprioritize niya kung sino ang nangangailangan ng organ na iyon,” Villaroman said.

“Walang bias doon sa pipiliin dahil ang isang pasyente ay may pera,” he said.

Lung transplantation, including all the procedures before and after, would cost around P2.5 million to P3 million depending on the specific needs of the patient, Villaramon said.

The program offers assistance to those who may not be able to afford the cost of the procedures.

“There are sources of funding na pwede kuhanan, including the Malasakit center, kasama na nga ang MAIP [Medical Assistance for Indigent Patients] funds and we also utilize the MOOE funds na mayroon kami dito sa Lung Center, natutulungan ang mga pasyente at ang kanilang ginagastos ay very minimal,” he said.

“Maybe 5 percent ng ginagastos nila [ang babayaran nalang] so far. Iyon ang objective naman kasi is to bawasan ang out of the pocket expense ng mga pasyente,” he said.

The NKTI and LCP initiated the creation of a joint lung transplant program on November 25, 2022 through a memorandum of agreement (MOA), but it was only on Tuesday, January 23 when it was formally launched.

President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. graced the event, where he expressed confidence in the project of LCP and NKTI.

“The partnership between LCP and NKTI can be a template in which hospitals pool their resources and share assets to boost patient care and improve bottom lines. The launch of the LCP and the NKTI Lung Transplant Program is an application of the proven maxim that two heads – two hospitals – are better than one,” he said in his speech.

He also extended his gratitude to the two hospitals for their “unwavering commitment to the healthcare system of the Philippines and to the people, especially during those trying times when the country was hit by the COVID-19 pandemic.”

“Nais naming ipaabot ang aming taus-pusong pasasalamat dahil sa inyong katapangan, your gallant acts do not fade with time, then gratitude has no expiry date either. In LCP and NKTI, these words ring true: ‘Never was so much owed by so many to so few’,” Marcos said.

PROMISE TO REBUILD NKTI:

Marcos also vowed to fully rebuild the NKTI Annex Building that was destroyed in a fire that gutted the LCP in 1998.

The fire started in the LCP and affected the nearby NKTI Annex building which housed the emergency room, wards, operating room and radiology complex.

In his speech, he said that he was surprised to find out that the said building has not yet been fully restored.

“We will be coming to you again so that we can complete, we can complete the rebuilding, I was a little sad to hear that the damage that was caused by the fire of 1998 has not yet been completely rehabilitated, and I think that’s the first thing that we have to look to,” he said.

“And, it seems like it has been too long delay to wait since 1998 to bring us back to the standards, or at least the capacity that we had in 1998 to now, which is already 2024. So, we are playing catch-up, but we will do all that we can,” he added.

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