DUMAGUETE CITY, July 28 -- Dialysis patients on the waiting list of the Negros Oriental Provincial Hospital (NOPH) will soon receive free treatment through a partnership with a newly opened private medical facility in this city.

Provincial Health Office (PHO) chief Dr. Liland Estacion said Tuesday that MCenter, a privately owned outpatient medical and diagnostic facility, has offered to accommodate NOPH's waiting list dialysis patients at no cost.

"This is a welcome development because we currently have only 10 dialysis units at NOPH, while about 200 patients are waiting for treatment," Estacion said.

She said the arrangement would help clear the backlog of patients needing hemodialysis, enabling them to receive treatment sooner and im...