A total of 14
outpatients of the renal unit at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital have died after
the unit was closed to them in May 2023, the Renal Patients Association has
revealed.
A spokesperson
for the Association, Michael Asante, told journalists at a press conference in
Accra on Monday that the deaths were caused by the patients’ inability to
access dialysis treatment at private dialysis centres, which is more expensive
than the treatment offered at the hospital.
“As we speak,
the renal unit has been closed since 22 May 2023 up to date to outpatients,”
Asante said. “Patients have gone through turbulent times as we struggle to
finance our dialysis treatment at private dialysis centres across the centres.
Unfortunately, during this shutdown period, we have lost about 14 of our
friends…This has left the rest of us living in constant fear for our tomorrow.
This is because we do not know who amongst us will be next to lose their lives
needlessly.”
Asante appealed
to the government to waive the costs of dialysis treatment for renal patients
and to include these cases in the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS).
The Ministry of
Health has also condemned the management of the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital for
increasing dialysis fees without proper recourse to Parliament or the
ministry’s approval.
Kidney failure
patients who visit the Renal Unit of the facility for dialysis sessions were
being charged a new fee of GH765 from an initial fee of GH385.
The ministry
summoned the management of the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital to explain why the
new fee was introduced without going through due process. The hospital has come
under intense criticism after reports of the review of its dialysis charges.
In an interview
on Eyewitness News on Citi FM on Friday, the Public Relations Officer of the
Ministry of Health, Isaac Offei Baah, described the review of the fee by
Korle-Bu management without approval as “illegal.”
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