In a post on social media, he protested against the increasing cost of the medical procedure following reports that some patients have been left stranded at Korle Bu Teaching Hospital in Accra.

He asked the Health Ministry to consider the economic conditions in the country and reconsider the decision.

“Its never easy…@mohgovgh Please look inside this increment… And Let’s find ways to subsidize the cost of dialysis if possible,” He wrote on X.

Check out the post below:

Meanwhile, Chief Executive Officer of the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA), Dr Aboagye Dacosta, on May 14, announced that his outfit has concluded a policy agreement to help ease the financial burden on end-stage kidney patients.

“We are looking at supplementing for both patients from Korle Bu, Komfo Anokye Teaching hospital… we will be able to breach a gap for them, and we’ll support our patients also from Cape Coast…

“The fact is they [kidney patients] do eight cycles per month, we cannot do all the eight so we are looking at an average or may be below average… Like I said the report is ready, it is just to be taken to the board for final consideration then implementation starts,” he added.

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The Authority, through its regional offices, is currently collecting data from all teaching hospitals where dialysis is done, for feasibility assessment for further action.  

Mr Fred Appiah, the Central Regional Director of NHIA, who disclosed this to the Ghana News Agency in an interview on Friday, said the move was in response to concerns and appeals from kidney patients in the country.   

He said this on the sidelines of a blood donation exercise to help stock the National Blood Bank. 

The gesture, which forms part of activities marking the Authority’s 20th Anniversary celebration, is targeted at mitigating the incidence of blood shortage at the various blood banks and its attendant preventable deaths.   

He said his office had already submitted data gathered from the Cape Coast Teaching Hospital (CCTH) to the Head Office.  

” I believe that once we are done with the data collection, there will be positive news that we will consider adding dialysis onto our package. Looking at the time they gave us, I know management will work on it within the shortest possible time and give the nation feedback” he said.

The cost of dialysis in Ghana and the difficulty in assessing it has caused public outcry in the past few weeks.  

An attempt by the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital (KBTH) to increase the cost of dialysis was strongly resisted by the public, who saw that move as a death sentence for most kidney patients.  

Some 19 patients reportedly died after KBTH closed its renal unit for some weeks over indebtedness to the facility.  

Mr Appiah indicated that the assessment would determine whether the Authority would absorb the full cost or part of the treatment.  

He said the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) covered about 95 per cent of diseases in Ghana, with more than 540 medicines.  

Given the fact that they kept on adding more, there was the need to expand the resource base to absorb more conditions, he said.  

Asked whether the addition of kidney treatment to the Scheme would necessitate an increase in the premium paid, he said it was likely but that would not be enough.   

Mr. Appiah appealed to government to increase the funds allocated to the Authority to achieve a sustainable health insurance.   

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The Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association of Ghana (PMAG) said its members could produce to meet the local demand for medical supplies for the treatment of kidney failure.

The Association, however, insists that the members would need a guaranteed market from the dialysis centers in order to participate in the production of such medicines.

Production

“Some of the fluids for hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis are produced in Ghana, so more can be done,” the Executive Secretary of the PMAG, Lucia Addae-Ntiri, told the Daily Graphic. 

Mrs Addae-Ntiri said the demand for the fluids and infusions from local manufacturers “was very low”, and that their production locally would have to be incentivised.

Currently, there are 40 local manufacturers, five of them manufacture infusions or drips and another has the capacity to produce renal fluids.

At least, two more are setting up to produce fluids for dialysis, Mrs Addae-Ntiri disclosed.

She added that the local pharmaceutical manufacturers would require “affordable long-term financing and incentives from government” to ensure a sustainable programme to produce locally for the local market”.

Such support, Mrs Addae-Ntiri said, could come in the form of single-digit interest rates on loans with a two-year moratorium.

Market

Although the market for renal fluids has grown because of the new discoveries of kidney conditions in the population lately, the demand for local products has been low, mainly due to the penchant for imports.

“Very few patients knew they had renal impairment, that is kidney failure. With more equipment and technology, the number is increasing.

“The demand is increasing because of the awareness, education, screening and technology,” Mrs Addae-Ntiri said.

She said, “Locally manufactured fluids or medicines are usually more affordable compared to imported fluids”.

Mrs. Addae-Ntiri, who has practiced as a pharmacist for more than a decade, said when the local producers received the necessary financial and logistical support, it would translate into increased capacity “to meet the needs of renal fluids across the country”. 

“That would also mean competitive prices to give the patients the best prices,” she added.

Context

The offer from the manufacturers comes in the wake of the growing cost of dialysis for patients with kidney failure in the country, with the premier teaching hospital, Korle Bu, admitting an intention to raise its charges for dialysis from the current GH¢380 to GH¢765.42 per session.

Although the hospital has denied that the new charges have taken effect, its officials have admitted that the implementation of the new rates actually started before the attempt to backtrack.

In private dialysis centers, however, the procedure costs between GH¢400 and GH¢1,200 per session.

Kidney failure — also known as renal failure — is when one or both of a person’s kidneys no longer function well on their own. It is the most severe stage of kidney disease.

While the condition can be treated by a transplant, the cost of the service is expensive.

The recent breakthrough in kidney transplants by solely Ghanaian medical staff in Ghana cost $21,000 per case.

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In a passionate plea during the “Dialysis Crisis: JoyNews Thought Leadership Event,” a patient, Thomas Vincent Cann, said patients are growing increasingly weary of government rhetoric and are demanding concrete action to address the pressing issues they face.

Mr Cann began by emphasising the urgent need for positive assurances from the government regarding the high cost of dialysis treatment.

He expressed his hope that the President’s Advisor on Health, Dr Anthony Nsiah Asare, present at the dialogue, could offer assurances that prices would be reduced, and the government would provide subsidies.

These assurances, according to Cann, are crucial for the well-being of dialysis patients who are struggling to afford the lifesaving treatment.

“We’ll want some assurances that the prices will be reduced and the government will give a subsidy but if all hear is dialogue and no assurance that will be disappointing,” he said on Thursday.

The conversation at the event also shed light on the challenges faced by dialysis patients in accessing specialised care.

Mr Cann pointed out that patients from various regions of Ghana, including Western and Central areas, are forced to travel to the Greater Accra Region for crucial fistula surgery.

According although other hospitals across the country have qualified surgeons, this specialised procedure requires a high level of expertise and carries significant risks.

“All of these things are a burden to the patients. So I don’t know what policymakers and relevant stakeholders are thinking because it is really difficult.

“It is something that is really affecting people psychologically and emotionally. And I’ve said several times that this is a disease that can psychologically break you down which will even kill you faster than the disease itself.”

He therefore called on Dr. Nsiah Asare and his team to take swift action to address these pressing issues.

Adding that, as dialysis patients they prepared to meet with the President and “show him the scars on our skin if that is what it will take for him to know the reality on the ground.”

“[This is] because we don’t need the rhetoric, we need action.”

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The mother of the young girl, Priscilla Asante, revealed that her daughter passed away early Sunday at 1: a.m.

In an interview with JoyNews’ Richard Kwadwo Nyarko, Madam Ruth said she saw her daughter, Priscilla, bloating on the day of her passing.

She added that, the doctor had informed her that this was an indication both kidneys of the young girl had failed.

Speaking on Joy FM’s Newsnight, on Wednesday, the headmaster of Mampong Catholic A Basic School, where Priscilla was a pupil, revealed that the young girl had been writing her third term examination prior to the tragedy.

Mr Francis Ampong said the school had noted some unusual changes in Priscilla days before her passing and sent her home to her parents.

According to him, there was a delay in sending her to the hospital immediately because her mother had no money.

However, they managed to send her to a local hospital and later the Cape Coast Teaching Hospital where she died days later.

Meanwhile, Priscilla’s mother noted that her daughter’s death came just a month after she started her dialysis treatment.

She said had her daughter survived, the family would have needed about GH¢‎1000 every week for her dialysis treatment.

Madam Ruth indicated that, even in this short period, the family has accumulated a lot of debt in their bid to help her daughter seek treatment.

The distraught mother said they still needed to pay the hospital about GH¢‎4000 to retrieve her daughter’s body for burial on Sunday.

Madam Ruth appealed to the government to reduce the cost of dialysis treatment so people from lower-income homes struggling with renal failure could afford it.

Priscilla’s death comes barely a day after her interview with JoyNews was aired.

The young Junior High School (JHS) student revealed she had to miss classes and seek treatment at the Cape Coast Teaching Hospital every week.

She shared her dream of wanting to become a nurse and hoped for a full recovery.

Priscilla had appealed to the public and the government to come to her and her family’s aid so they could pay for her dialysis treatment.

WHO Country Director, Dr. Francis Chisaka Kasolo said the recent outcry over the increase in dialysis fees at Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital could be addressed if the NHIS were expanded to bear the cost for patients.

Speaking to journalists on the sidelines of an event in Accra, Dr. Kasolo said that a second look at the operations of the NHIS was needed.

“If our health insurance is strong, it can mitigate the cost of renal treatment services if it is included in the benefits package. This would have mitigated the out-of-pocket expenditures that we are beginning to see increase, and if that works, then we would have solved part of the problem of increasing out-of-pocket expenditure that we see with the dialysis cost” he added.

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Speaking in an interview on Adom TV’s Badwam show, he stated that, there was a need for the government to cover part of the treatment.

The Information Minister suggested that, the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) should absorb some of the cost of dialysis incurred by kidney patients.

“Government is waiting on the management of Korle Bu to complete its internal work and come forward with what its position is. The conversation has been going on, and I personally suggested that whatever the amount comes to, the NHIS Fund should be able to pick up,” he said.

The Ofoase-Ayirebi Member of Parliament called for proper financing of the NHIS in order to cover part payment for kidney dialysis.

The Renal Patients Association of Ghana, comprised of individuals with kidney conditions, have disclosed that fourteen of its members passed away between May and September while at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital.

The Association attributed this to a shortage of consumables at the facility, resulting in a limitation of dialysis services to only emergency cases.

Spokesperson of the group, Michael Asante said the situation has instilled constant fear of death among many of them.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Health has summoned management of Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital over the recent price hike.

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This is in response to a recent increment in the cost of dialysis treatment by more than 100 percent at the Renal Dialysis Unit of the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital.

Speaking at an event to commemorate the 2023 United Nations International Day for the Aged, Mr. Mahama described as insensitive the decision by the government to burden patients with exorbitant costs of treatment in the wake of the recent economic crisis. 

Mr. Mahama also pledged to provide relief for patients of different ailments when voted into power in 2024.

“Given the opportunity, we shall bring relief to thousands of our citizens suffering from these ailments. Just this week, there was an uproar when the nation’s premier teaching hospital, Korle Bu announced an increase in charges for dialysis treatment by one hundred percent which is threatening to put the cost of dialysis treatment out of the reach of many patients and their families.

The explanation I have read from the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital cites the increase in taxes and duties of materials for dialysis treatment as the main reason for their decision to hike the price by a hundred percent. As an immediate measure, I call on the government to exempt medication and kits for dialysis treatment from taxes and duties to maintain this critical lifeline for patients whose survival depends on these treatments,” he said.

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