NMI’s hemodialysis unit lauded

The California-based Transpacific Renal Network has given recognition to the renal hemodialysis section of the Commonwealth Health Center as one of the top units that provide quality care to patients undergoing dialysis.

Public Health Secretary Joseph Kevin Villagomez said such accomplishment shows the commitment of the hospital in making sure that the best possible care is provided to the people in the community.

“It was a lot of hard work for everyone in the team to earn this recognition considering the problems we had to hurdle,” he said.

Dr. Hilmer Negrete, director of hemodialysis unit of CHC, said the team has to submit regular progress report to each patient undergoing dialysis treatment to Transpacific Network.

The quality of care is measured through a system called core indicators, which include adequacy dialysis, anemia and nutritional status. “We have had great improvement as this has become our standard,” said Negrete.

Transpacific Network supervises the work of dialysis units in 10 areas, which also include Northern California, Hawaii, Guam and American Samoa.

Expansion of the hospital’s hemodialysis section and construction of the new public health building is included in the list of Capital Improvement Projects that will be immediately carried out once the $30 million loan from the Bank of Guam is released.

Although the CNMI government has been experiencing financial difficulties, Gov. Pedro P. Tenorio has made a commitment to provide the needed financial support to DPH to ensure that health care is not jeopardized.

Compared to the U.S. mainland which has a 9 percent annual growth of people who undergo dialysis treatment, the Northern Marianas has a 20 percent average annual increase.

Although the dialysis unit has been recognized in providing excellent care, Negrete said they still want to prevent people from having to go through this kind of treatment through an educational campaign.

“While we are grateful for having this facility and a very good staff, we would rather not see them go through this at all,” said Villagomez.

Three years ago, there were only 44 patients in the hemodialysis unit of CHC. The number shot up to 71 in 1999, an alarming increase for an island with a small population.

With the growing number of patients undergoing dialysis at the Commonwealth Health Center, kidney transplant is one option which is being made available to them by the government.

Recently, DPH signed an agreement with the San Francisco-based California Pacific Medical Center to provide medical care to patients from the CNMI who would be sent for kidney transplant.

Dr. Sharon Inokuchi, a transplant nephrologist and vice chairmam of the department of transplantation at the Medical Center, examined the patients who are on dialysis treatment at CHC to find out the possible candidates for a kidney transplant.

Unfortunately, only one-third of the patients here are healthy enough to undergo kidney operation.

Dialysis treatment costs $7,000 a month per patient. A kidney operation runs from $50,000 to $70,000 and can even go higher for more complicated cases.

Villagomez said the main focus of the hospital campaign is awareness on diabetes, which is being blamed for kidney failure. “We know it will take us a long time to change the mind set and lifestyle of the people but it is extremely important that we do that,” he said.