Here are the current dialysis prices for patients at Korle Bu Teaching Hospital.

The Korlebu Teaching Hospital is now charging more for patients with kidney illness to have extra fluid and waste products removed from their blood.

This scenario came to light as a result of a social media post that revealed an increase in the cost of dialysis at the Accra institution.

JoyNews has received confirmation from the Hospital that it has decided to raise the price from GHC 380 to GHC 765.

Mustapha Salifu, the public relations officer for KBTH, noted that the high import fees and taxes on consumables are to blame for this increase.

He added to JoyNews, “The increase is to fulfil the facility’s operating costs. There are several factors that affect how much it costs. If we conduct a true cost study, the price would be around GH 850, but due to a number of factors, we are now recommending GH 765.42 instead.

Mr. Salifu also revealed that the hospital used to receive some tax exemptions from the government, which contributed to the initial cost of the therapy, which was GH 380.

But he added that the institution just realised last year that they were no longer eligible for those exemptions.

Mr Salifu highlighted that the hospital decided to raise charges because they needed to raise money to be able to supply the services the unit offers.

Mr Salifu claims that the hospital chose to raise the cost of dialysis because they needed to raise money to pay for the services supplied at the unit.

He made it clear that the rise in the cost of the procedure was not being done to turn a profit but rather to help and enable the hospital to give its patients high-quality care.

Furthermore, Mr Salifu said that there is not much the hospital can do to change the situation, emphasising that if the cost of the therapy is not raised, “in the next couple of weeks or several days down the line, we’ll have to shut down the unit.”

Other local hospitals may experience an increase as well, citing an increase in the cost of consumables.

Despite the high cost of consumables and other components, JoyNews inquiries have shown that the management of Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital is not in a rush to raise the cost of dialysis treatment.

Reports state that management has not yet formally discussed or planned to raise the cost of the treatment.

The cost of dialysis treatment was brought up at the just concluded #OccupyJulorbiHouse protest, when an irate protester bemoaned the passing of a 24-year-old patient due to inability to pay for treatment fees.

Some others were alarmed by the news of the sudden hike since they said they had trouble making ends meet at the prior price. Some patients are concerned that the increased price would make things worse.