(1) The Secretary of the Department of Health shall be the disbursing officer of funds appropriated by the General Assembly and of other funds made available to the State Kidney Disease Commission for such purposes. These funds are to provide monetary assistance to defray the cost incurred by patients suffering from acute or chronic renal disease who are unable to meet the total cost of their care or treatment from their own resources or from third-party resources.
(2) The secretary shall be governed by the policies, rules, and procedures promulgated by the commission in disbursing funds appropriated, or otherwise made available, to the commission for renal disease treatment purposes.