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Senate Committee of Health and Demography chair Christopher “Bong” Go last Monday (September 6), welcomed back the patients who successfully had their liver operation in India in a simple activity held at Mella Hotel, Las Piñas City.

Their successful operation was made possible through the assistance given by the Office of the President and Senator Go’s office.

“Nandito lang kami ni Pangulong Duterte para sa inyong lahat. Kayo na nagpapa-ospital, andito lang kami para sa pamilya ninyo. Magsabi lang po kayo,” Go said during his video conference with the eighteen patients joined by their families before they were sent off to their respective homes to recuperate further.

“Ang importante ngayon ay makauwi kayo sa bahay ninyo ng ligtas. Ngunit, huwag kayong magkumpiyansa dahil delikado pa ang panahon ngayon, dahil nandiyan pa ang COVID-19. Talagang delikado po ang panahon. Pakiusap ko lang po sa inyong lahat ay magpabakuna na po kayo, libre naman po ang bakuna para protektado kayo,” he continued.

Biliary atresia is a rare disease of the liver and bile ducts that usually occurs in infants. Considering that the condition could be fatal when left untreated, a liver transplant is needed to address the said disease.

As he continued to push to capacitate further the National Kidney and Transplant Institute to have liver transplantations done locally, the Senator, in the meantime, had been helping send children abroad for transplants.

“Nais natin na ang mga pasyente ay magtiwala po sa kakayahan ng ating mga doktor. Gusto natin sabihin sa kanila na hindi na nila kailangan pumunta ng ibang bansa para sa liver transplant. Magtiwala sila sa ating local doctors,” the Senator said.

“’Yun po ang objective natin dito, as soon as possible sana. Sana ay maging parehas tayo sa ibang bansa,” he added.

Prior to their treatment, President Rodrigo Duterte, Senator Go, and several government agencies earlier extended their support to the biliary atresia patients as they provided other necessary assistance apart from the medical expenses needed for the operation, such as airfare, accommodation in India, health kits, grocery packs, and meals.

Ethan Dave Villapaz, a two-year-old patient, flew to India together with his parents and had his surgical operation at Apollo Hospital in New Delhi, India on January 25. With his mother as his liver donor, the family of baby Ethan expressed their appreciation towards the Duterte Administration for the medical assistance provided for their child’s operation.

Baby Ethan’s mother, Elvie Bantilan Villapaz, shared how hard it was for their family to accept that her son has liver disease, but she remained optimistic when the government granted her request for assistance right away.

“Mahal na Pangulo Rodrigo Roa Duterte at saka kay Senator “Bong” Go, ako po ay taos pusong nagpapasalamat sa inyo at sa kanyang buong staff ng OSAP sa lahat ng tulong na binigay nila, kagaya ng accommodation namin habang kami ay nagpapa-liver transplant sa aming anak na si Etan Dave Villapaz,” Villapaz expressed.

After-care medical assistance will also be provided to each patient to ensure that the children will recover fast after their operation. In addition, Senator Go and the Department of Social Welfare and Development provided financial assistance to the families to further help them sustain their basic needs.

In August 2019, through the help of Go, other government agencies, private donors and the Office of the President, a certain Baby Xia was sent to India and had a successful operation. After-care medical assistance was also provided continuously months after the operation.

Duterte and Go had earlier also offered assistance to a Philippine Army soldier’s baby, named Eren Arabella Crisologo from Butuan City, and another child from Cebu, Dionifer Zephaniah Itao. The President and the Senator first met baby Eren when they visited the wounded-in-action soldiers in a hospital in Cagayan de Oro City last March 2019, while baby Dionifer was presented to Go during one of his visits to fire victims in Cebu early in the same year.

In June 2019, both babies Eren and Dionifer flew together with their parents to Apollo Hospital in India for the needed medical operation. Despite efforts in providing the best and world-class medical attention, 11-month old baby Eren did not survive the complications of the said operation.

Other biliary atresia patients who received similar assistance from the government were Chloe T. Nioda, Tristan Louie L. Nieva, Asher Cyron A. Luna, Alliana Jade De Asis, Anthony N. Tabanao, Danielle Ryan Salem, Barak Mathaias Pangisban, and many others.

Senator Go has been committed to improving the provision of accessible healthcare services and training for health professionals in treating liver diseases, particularly biliary atresia, so that patients do not need to go to other countries for their treatment. Go then expressed his anticipation for the enhancement of NKTI’s facilities, equipment, and services.

“I am also looking forward to the development of the liver transplant capabilities of the NKTI, with the ultimate goal of equipping them to be able to perform the procedure. Kung mayroon tayo dito sa Pilipinas ng mga kailangang equipment, mas maraming well-trained specialists at mas murang operasyon, hindi na kailangang magpagamot pa sa ibang bansa ang mga pasyenteng ito,” said Go.

“Magtulungan tayong maisaayos ang ating mga pasilidad pangkalusugan para hindi na natin kailangang umasa sa ibang bansa para sa mga operasyon, tulad ng paggamot sa biliary atresia. Magagaling naman ang ating mga doktor,” Go ended.

Last year, Senator Go attended the signing of the memorandum of agreement to perform pediatric liver transplantations in the country. He had been pushing to capacitate local doctors prior to this agreement.

Under the MOA, which the Department of Health signed with the Philippine Children’s Medical Center and The Medical City, the government hospital will identify qualified patients, the private hospital will perform the transplants, and the DOH will reimburse the expenses through the PCMC, among other stipulations.