Marcos eyes early completion of ‘largest dialysis center’ in Southeast Asia

MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. wants the ongoing construction of the new hemodialysis hub in Quezon City, which he and other government officials said could be the "largest in Southeast Asia" once finished, to be completed by the end of 2027.

Marcos personally inspected the construction site of the National Kidney and Transplant Institute (NKTI) Legacy Building on Friday, June 26, along with the Department of Public Works and Highways Acting Secretary Vince Dizon, Department of Health Secretary Ted Herbosa and NKTI Executive Director Jose Dante Dator.

“Ito ang magiging pinakamalaking dialysis center sa Southeast Asia,” Marcos said. (This will be the largest dialysis center in Southeast Asia.)

The under-construction 13-storey facility is being built on a 2,900 square-meter land portion of the NKTI compound in Diliman, Quezon City. Once finished, officials said it could provide service to more than 200 patients coming from Metro Manila and nearby areas.

“Itong ginagawa natin ngayon 2023 nagsimula, and ang utos ng ating Pangulo, tapusin by end of 2027,” Dizon said on the sidelines of the site inspection. “Bubuohin na natin ang pondo next year, para sa December 2027 buo na yung kinakailangang P2.8 billion para itayo itong bagong NKTI.”

(What we are doing right now started in 2023, and the order of the president is to complete it by the end of 2027. We will complete the funds needed by next year so that by December 2027, the P2.8 billion needed funds for the construction of the new NKTI will be complete.)

Dizon added that the facility is among the flagship specialty hospitals under the administration of Marcos that the government aims to complete before the end of Marcos’ term.

Meanwhile, Health Secretary Herbosa backed up the president’s claim that the facility could be the largest in Southeast Asia. 

“Ang programa natin magamot natin yung mga nagkakaroon na ng kidney disease at ma-prevent yung hindi pa nagkakaroon ng kidney disease. Ito yung pinakamalaking dialysis center na matatayo sa ating bansa, sa Southeast Asia, 200 machines in a single place,” Herbosa said. 

The NKTI is a specialty hospital first established in 1981, providing services to patients with Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) needing dialysis and other medical and surgical services related to renal health, urology, and organ transplant. 

Chronic Kidney Disease is a condition in which an individual’s kidneys, which are supposed to act as the body’s natural waste filter, fail due to damage or infection. 

According to the National Kidney Foundation, CKD may develop at any age. Its causes include diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, obesity, old age, family or personal history of kidney failure, and use of tobacco products.

In June 2025, the NKTI reported that CKD remains one of the top causes of death among Filipinos.