President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said he intends to create 179 specialized centers and renovate the National Kidney and Transplant Institute Annex building before the end of his term.

In his speech during the launch of the Lung Transplant Program of the Lung Center of the Philippines and the NKTI on Tuesday, Marcos said his administration would exert all efforts in rehabilitating the NKTI Annex building following a fire that gutted the Lung Center of the Philippines in 1998.

Marcos acknowledged the "too long a delay" of 26 years, highlighting the need to catch up and modernize the facility.

"I was a little sad to hear that the damage caused by the fire of '98 has not yet been completely rehabilitated. I think that's the first thing that we have to look to," Marcos said.

"It seems like it has been too long a 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," he added.

Marcos' pledge brings hope to the thousands of Filipinos who rely on NKTI for kidney disease treatment and organ transplants. NKTI's fire-gutted annex building housed crucial facilities like operating rooms, patient rooms, and the dialysis center. Its reconstruction has been plagued by delays due to funding constraints and bureaucratic hurdles.

In the same speech, Marcos said he aims to provide nearly 180 lung centers nationwide as a key initiative in his administration's commitment to expanding specialized healthcare facilities.

''By 2028, we aim to establish an additional 179 specialty centers, seven of which are dedicated as lung care centers,'' Marcos said.

To date, the government has successfully created 131 operational specialty centers throughout the country, with nine specifically designated as lung care centers. The primary goal is to enhance accessibility to lung care for Filipinos, particularly those residing in rural areas.

In November 2022, the government launched the five-year LCP-NKTI Lung Transplant Program with the objective of creating a comprehensive lung transplant manual. This initiative addresses challenges such as inadequate infrastructure, the absence of a robust organ donation and allocation system, limited availability of trained personnel, and financial limitations.

The program is geared towards enhancing the infrastructure capacity of the LCP, with specific projects funded by the 2024 General Appropriations Act and contributions from the private sector. Notable investments include the P4.2-million renovation of the post-anesthesia care unit and the P1.8-million upgrade of the surgical intensive care unit. These efforts aim to improve overall capabilities and advance the cause of lung transplantation.

The LCP was established in 1981 under Presidential Decree (PD) No. 1823, while the NKTI, a tertiary medical specialty center, was created in the same year by PD No. 1832.

Both institutions came into existence during the tenure of former President Ferdinand Marcos Sr., who shares the same name as his son and the current president.