Josiah
The Renal Patients Association of Ghana has called on the government to address the GH¢4 million debt owed by the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital to suppliers of dialysis consumables. This debt has resulted in the closure of the renal unit to outpatients, and sadly, 19 outpatients from the renal unit have lost their lives since its closure in May 2023.
Kojo Ahenkorah, the association’s spokesperson, emphasized the importance of settling this debt to reopen the renal unit to outpatients. He stated, “We cannot fight the government, we are pleading with them. I don’t think Ghana cannot raise GH¢4 million within a day or tomorrow to pay this money. So we are just pleading with them because what will be the point that today you open and tomorrow you close again? Already people are dying, people are suffering.”
Ahenkorah also shared that due to the closure of the unit at Korle-Bu, he was unable to afford dialysis at a private facility last Friday.
In a separate development, the outpatient department of the hospital’s Renal Dialysis Unit partially reopened on November 6, after being closed to outpatients since May 22, 2023. The unit had previously reopened on September 27, with an increase in the cost of dialysis treatment per session from GH¢380 to GHS¢765.42.
The Minister of Health, Kwaku Agyemang-Manu, directed the management of the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital to immediately reopen the unit on a Thursday.
Source:omanghana.com
