Healthway Philippines partners with Diabetes Philippines and AstraZeneca to fight kidney disease

IN PHOTO: [Left to right] Dr. Pinkerton Alamillo - QualiMed DMMC Head of Peritoneal Dialysis Unit, Dr. Dan Dones - QualiMed STR Head of Hemodialysis Unit, Dr. Tel Corcuera - Nephrologist at QualiMed STR, Dr. Gina Nazareth - QualiMed Health Network Group VP for Medical Affairs and Quality Management, Jaime E. Ysmael - Healthway Philippines, Inc. President and CEO, Lotis C. Ramin - AstraZeneca Philippines Country President, Dr. Francis Pasaporte - Diabetes Philippines, Inc. President, Dr. Erika Basilan, QualiMed DMMC Department of Internal Medicine Research Committee Head, Dr. Carlo Punzalan - QualiMed DMMC Head of Hemodialysis Unit, Paolo F. Borromeo - AC Health President and CEO, Margeret A. Bengzon - QualiMed Health Network Group Chief Operating Officer, Rhodora E. Revilla - Healthway Chief Finance Officer, Dr. Cyril Tolosa - AstraZeneca Associate Director for Medical Affairs.

STA. ROSA, LAGUNA – Last January 6, 2023, AC Health’s clinics and hospitals group, Healthway Philippines, Inc. (HPI), entered into a partnership with Diabetes Philippines Inc (DP), Philippine Association of Diabetes Educators (PADE), Association of Diabetes Nurse Educators of the Philippines (ADNEP) and AstraZeneca Philippines, to launch ACT Now, a Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) screening program within the QualiMed hospital network and Healthway clinics.

The ACT Now program of Diabetes Philippines aims to proactively combat kidney disease, as a complication of Diabetes and Hypertension, through promoting early detection by making kidney disease screening accessible to more patients.

According to Diabetes Philippines president Dr. Francis Pasaporte, “Our multilateral partnership with HPI and AstraZeneca Philippines brings our ACT Now vision closer to reality, a future wherein no Filipino should suffer CKD complications from diabetes and hypertension.”

“With Filipino patients in front and center of this collaboration, we look forward to driving early identification of CKD risk factors with our partners through patient awareness, HCP education, and easier access to healthcare”, he added.

AstraZeneca Philippines Country President Lotis C. Ramin said, “AstraZeneca is committed to delivering meaningful outcomes for Filipino patients and the society. Together with our partners in the ACT Now Program, we aim to improve patient care by educating physicians and identifying patients who are most at risk of developing complications.”

We are grateful and looking forward to the impact of this partnership with AC Health and HPI to the many lives of patients and contribute to curb the number of patients needing dialysis through an early screening, diagnosis and intervention of CKD as part of a health ecosystem solution,” she furthered.

QualiMed and Healthway, through their hospitals, clinics, and corporate clinics, will screen patients for CKD through a Multiple Risk Factor (MRF) questionnaire, Micral screening, and UACR (Urine Albumin-to-Creatinine Ratio) testing. The goal is to detect CKD early to be able to provide preventive treatment, intervention, and management of the disease.

“Programs such as ACT Now are all the more crucial as we begin to shift focus back to pressing health concerns such as non-communicable and chronic diseases.

By bringing together AC Health’s network and Diabetes Philippines’ advocacy program with the support from AstraZeneca Philippines, we are confident we can continue to improve access to chronic disease screening across multiple touchpoints,” said AC Health President & CEO, Paolo Borromeo.

QualiMed Sta. Rosa and Healthway Market! Market! will serve as the pilot sites for the free UACR testing for the first 1,000 patients. The free Multiple Risk Factor screening is currently available in all QualiMed hospitals, Healthway clinics, and corporate clinics.