Korle Bu Reopens Renal Unit to Outpatients
The Korle Bu Teaching Hospital (KBTH) has reopened its renal unit to outpatients after six months of closure by the hospital’s management due to a GHC4 million debt from medical consumables.
In a statement on Tuesday, the hospital said the Unit resumed operation at the beginning of the week.
“Management of Korle Bu Teaching Hospital (KBTH) wishes to inform all stakeholders and the general public that the Renal Dialysis Unit was reopened to outpatients on Monday, November 6, 2023.”
It said the new decision was born out of a directive from the Minister for Health, Hon Kwaku Agyeman-Manu last week.
It also disclosed the Minister is collaborating with the Hospital to offset their debt which was incurred from taxes and excise duty on imported consumables.
Meanwhile, it has urged Parliament to expedite the approval of their newly proposed dialysis charges.
“We call on Parliament to expedite action on the proposed new fees to enable us to recover cost and sustain the service.”
The hospital has proposed an increase in the cost of dialysis to GHc765.42 from the current GHc380 pending before the legislature for approval.
The closure of the Unit in May cost the lives of more than ten renal patients who couldn’t afford the cost of dialysis in private medical facilities.
NHI Cover
There have been calls for renal dialysis treatment to be incorporated into the National Health Insurance (NHI).
The Renal Patients Association as well as the World Health Organisation have joined the calls. They both indicate that the move will ease patients the financial burden that accompanies the treatment procedure.
But the Director of Corporate Affairs at the National Health Insurance Agency (NHIA), Oswald Mensah, has doused hopes that the move will take place any time soon.
“As we’re hearing, the dialysis treatment is quite expensive. If NHIA has to consider that, a lot of actuarial studies would have to be carried out to see whether the scheme will be sustainable if we take it on board. But that being said if the patients present with acute renal failure, for instance, the scheme covers that and pays for that,” Joynews quotes him as saying during an interview.
Dialysis is a treatment to clean the blood when the kidneys are not able to. It helps your body remove waste and extra fluids in your blood- a function of the Kidney organ.
Prevention
The Ghana Kidney Association (GKA) has entreated the general public to adopt healthy lives to protect their kidneys by adhering to the treatment of risk factors like Hypertension.
“Diabetes mellitus and avoiding the abuse of pain killers and herbs. Early reporting to the hospital for all patients who have been diagnosed with kidney disease can slow down disease progression,” it advised in a statement.
