Aim Kidney failure patients in the Philippines have free choice on their kidney replacement therapy (KRT), with a majority choosing haemodialysis (HD) over peritoneal dialysis (PD) and transplantation despite the inadequate coverage of HD. Although national health insurance coverage is limited, KRT remains to be one of the top benefits pay‐outs in the country. The study aims to identify the most cost‐effective policy strategy for financing KRT in the Philippines, in the context of a universal healthcare policy. Methods A Markov model was developed to estimate and compare the costs and benefits of different policy options with the comparator being partial HD coverage. Direct medical, non‐medical and indirect costs were measured, while outcomes were reported through quality‐adjusted life years (QALYs). Parameters were derived from the kidney disease registry, hospital statistics from a tertiary hospital and a patient survey. Results The results of the cost‐effectiveness analysis showed that shifting to a PD‐First policy provides better value‐for‐money with an incremental cost‐effectiveness ratio (ICER) of 570 029 Philippine Pesos (PHP) per QALY gained, compared with the ICER of the PD‐First combined with pre‐emptive transplant option of 577 989 PHP per QALY gained. Expanding existing HD coverage to 156 sessions was the least cost‐effective policy (1 522 437 PHP per QALY gained). Conclusion Government should consider shifting to a PD‐First strategy and support policies that promote kidney transplants among existing PD and HD patients. This study also highlights the need for proper evaluation of partial coverage policies to ensure that government investments represent good value‐for‐money and patients receive optimal care.

The prevalence of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg), hepatitis B exposure and antibodies against the hepatitis C virus (anti‐HCV) was assessed in 86 haemodialysis patients at the National Kidney and Transplant Institute (NKTI) using the commercial radioimmunoassay and ortho HCV ELISA assay. Of the 86 patients included in the study, 42 were male with a mean age of 44.9 years and a mean duration of dialysis of 2.4 years. Forty‐four were female with a mean age of 48.4 years and a mean duration of dialysis of 2.3 years. Hepatitis B exposure was 57% and 12.8% of haemodialysis patients were positive for HBsAg, whereas 39.8% of patients were positive for anti‐HCV. There was a significant correlation (P=0.00007) between anti‐HCV positivity and the length of time on haemodialysis. However, there was no significant correlation found between the number of blood transfusions received and anti‐HCV positivity. There was also no significant correlation found between HBsAg and antibodies to hepatitis B core antigen (anti‐HBc) positivity and the number of blood transfusions or the length of time on haemodialysis, nor between hepatitis B and C exposure and elevated aminotransferase levels.