The Renal Patients Association has reported that 14 outpatients of the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital’s renal unit died after the clinic closed in May 2023.
At a press conference in Accra on Monday, a spokesperson for the Association, Michael Asante, informed journalists that the fatalities were caused by the patients’ inability to receive dialysis therapy at private dialysis centers, which is more expensive than treatment at the hospital.
“As we speak, the renal unit has been closed since 22 May 2023 up to date to outpatients,” Asante said. “Patients have gone through turbulent times as we struggle to finance our dialysis treatment at private dialysis centres across the centres. Unfortunately, during this shutdown period, we have lost about 14 of our friends…This has left the rest of us living in constant fear for our tomorrow. This is because we do not know who amongst us will be next to lose their lives needlessly.”
Asante petitioned the government to eliminate dialysis charges for renal patients and to include these cases in the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS).
The Ministry of Health has also condemned the management of the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital for raising dialysis fees without consulting Parliament or seeking consent from the ministry.
Patients with kidney failure who visited the facility’s Renal Unit for dialysis sessions were charged a new price of GH765 in addition to the prior fee of GH385.
The ministry summoned the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital’s management to explain why the additional fee was implemented without appropriate process. The hospital has come under fire following news of a review of its dialysis charges.
In an interview with Eyewitness News on Citi FM on Friday, the Ministry of Health’s Public Relations Officer, Isaac Offei Baah, termed the fee review by Korle-Bu management without consent as “illegal.”
