The President of the Renal Patient Association of Ghana, Baffour Kojo Ahenkorah, has suggested to the government the creation of a special fund for renal care in the country.

 

He proposed that this fund be included in the 2024 budget, which will be presented in Parliament next week.

 

This proposal arises following the Ministry of Finance’s approval of GH¢4 million to settle the outstanding debt of the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital’s renal unit.

 

In an interview with Eyewitness News on Citi FM, Ahenkorah stressed the importance of incorporating national health insurance for renal patients, emphasizing its potential as a sustainable solution to reduce mortality rates in the unit.

 

“The government needs to intervene at this time. The GH¢380 we are currently paying has remained the same for years. If this continues, the government may need to subsidize almost GH¢1 million every month.”

 

“Now, the question is, can this be sustained? Can the government continue to provide this support every month? If it can, then hallelujah. But the fact remains that even the GH¢380, we as patients were unable to pay; someone else was covering the costs for us. So, the government needs to examine this issue. If they decide to incorporate it into the national health insurance, so be it. They should work out the details so that it can be covered by health insurance, preventing patients from suffering in the event of a closure, where patients would face dire consequences.”

 

He highlighted the necessity of government intervention, citing examples from countries where dialysis is provided for free.