Full gov't coverage for limb care pushed

A physician on Friday, 29 August, called for full PhilHealth coverage for limb ischemia treatment.

In the medical community, critical limb ischemia (CLI) has earned the reputation of being the "cancer of the vascular world" because of its high mortality and amputation rates.

Dr. Ramon Ribu, a thoracic cardiovascular surgeon and wound expert at the Philippine Heart Center, warned that CLI is not simply a leg problem, but a life-threatening disease that demands urgent medical and/or surgical intervention.

However, despite its seriousness, Ribu said many remain unaware of its risks, symptoms, and treatment options.

Ribu also highlighted the dangers of peripheral artery disease (PAD), a condition that occurs when arteries in the legs become narrowed or blocked, reducing blood flow. PAD, when it reaches its severe stage, progresses into CLI.

"Once the disease progresses to CLI, the mortality rate rises to 50 to 60 percent within the same period--comparable to advanced lung, liver, or pancreatic cancer," he said during the Philippine Heart Association's Usapang Puso sa Puso webinar.

Alongside the risk of death, Ribu said up to 30 percent of patients may face major amputation within a year of diagnosis.

With that, Ribu pushed for the inclusion of CLI treatment of in- and out-patients in the PhilHealth Ischemic Heart Disease-Acute Myocardial Infarction STEMI Package.

Ribu said this will help reduce expenses for certain vascular procedures and maintenance drugs.

While CLI treatments are available in the Philippines, the burden of cost remains a major obstacle, he furthered.

He stressed that while the disease is as dangerous as cancer, its management is often underfunded and overlooked compared to more well-known illnesses.

Interventions such as angioplasty, stenting, or bypass surgery can be prohibitively expensive in private hospitals. Government facilities, though more affordable, required long queues.

The Philippine Association of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgeons, Inc. (PATACSI), which has 198 members nationwide, with about 86 capable of performing bypass surgery, is also keen on pushing for Philhealth coverage of CLI treatment.