MANILA - The House of Representatives approved Monday on third and final reading a measure that provides a comprehensive renal replacement therapy for patients with end stage renal disease.

Some 177 lawmakers voted in favor of House Bill 9156 or the "Comprehensive Renal Replacement Therapy Act."

The bill also provides free dialysis treatment to indigent patients and expands the PhilHealth benefit package for kidney transplant replacement therapy from both living and deceased donors.

It also expands the PhilHealth coverage for kidney transplantation for the evaluation and screening of kidney donors and recipients up to the transplantation and post transplantation procedures and remedies.

The measure also provides the No Balance Billing (NBB) policy to incidents while increasing the PhilHealth Z Benefit package rates for peritoneal dialysis and hemodialysis after kidney transplant procedures.

Likewise, it mandates the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) to provide the remaining needed sessions for both peritoneal dialysis and hemodialysis after the patient has consumed one’s benefit package from PhilHealth. - Report from RG Cruz, ABS-CBN News