The issue of inadequate dialysis machines at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) poses a significant challenge in the renal unit of the hospital, preventing it from operating at its full capacity.
This is primarily due to the machines breaking down for years, leaving the entire facility with only two dialysis machines.
With the unit currently undergoing renovation, the facility can only treat a limited number of acute kidney cases, with many patients being referred to other peripheral facilities in the Ashanti region.
Doctors attending to the patients lament that the situation is particularly concerning, as many of the patients they refer to other facilities return with unexplained complications. This could have been avoided if the tertiary hospital were operating at its full capacity.
A consultant Nephrologist at the hospital, Dr. Elliot Koranteng Tannor, has urgently called on authorities to address the pressing concerns facing the hospital’s renal unit.
“We have actually had challenges that had span so many years, but we are currently working at improving the number of units and as I speak, work is ongoing. So we hope that there will be light at the end of the tunnel, so there are better days ahead.”
“Before, it was a bit tough because all we had were two machines for a hospital with a capacity of 1200 and so what it meant was that you would only be given the opportunity when you were on admission.”
Another major concern that Dr. Tannor is urging relevant stakeholders to address, especially as the discussion on the treatment of kidney cases has become a prominent topic, is the exodus of health professionals, particularly specialists in the field, from the country.
“The other significant issue is the workforce, and the few specialists we have trained are leaving. This is a major concern because even if we obtain twenty machines, there will not be a workforce to operate them. Therefore, we must also address the workforce shortage.”