Dialysis crisis: 14 patients died at Korle Bu between May and September as a result of a lack of supplies

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Renal Patients Association of Ghana, which represents people with renal diseases, has revealed that fourteen of its members died at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital between May and September.

The facility’s lack of consumables, which limited dialysis treatments to only emergency cases, was blamed for this by the organisation.

Michael Asante, a patient and member, explained how this condition has left many of them living in constant fear of dying during a press conference held in Accra.

According to Mr. Asante, the unit has been off-limits to outpatients since May 22, 2023.

As we struggle to pay for our dialysis treatment at private dialysis clinics across the city, we have experienced difficult times in the past. We lost roughly 14 of our friends and patients with EFRD during this shutdown period, which is regrettable and has left us living in continual worry of the future, he stated on Monday, October 2.

This comes after the uproar caused by news that hospital dialysis costs for patients with kidney diseases had climbed by more than 100%.

The significant increase in the price of dialysis was initially attributed by the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital on the high cost of taxes.

Later, Dr. Opoku Ware Ampomah, the Chief Executive of Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, stated that the price increase for kidney dialysis at the hospital was simply a planned sum and had not yet been put into effect.

He contends that specific procedures must be followed before treatment costs are raised and approved. Before it was made public, this increment had not even gone through those channels.

Dr. Opoku Ware implied that he himself was unaware of the notice when he said on JoyNews that it had not yet reached the Chief Executive Office.

The Renal Patients Association of Ghana’s members, however, dispute this claim.

Members dispute the CEO’s statements that the hospital has not yet introduced the new GHs765 fee and that it is still charging that amount.

One of them, Kojo Baffour, told JoyNews, “I went there on Thursday and I was told that in their system they still have new price.”