The management of Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) has said that it is hoping to improve dialysis treatment at the facility after disclosing it will secure about twelve pieces of equipment for dialysis by the end of May 2024.
Management indicates that the deficit in equipment makes it impossible to treat a great number of patients with such conditions as they are usually redirected to other facilities, and in some instances, the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital in the Greater Accra region.
Speaking to the media, he adds that progress on the renovation of the facility (Heal Komfo Anokye project) launched by the Asantehene Otumfuo Osei Tutu II is still around 39 to 40%, the same percentage three months ago because of the rise of the dollar against the Ghana cedi.
“When the issues of dialysis came up and Korle-Bu was in the news with respect to new prices and all that, in one of our discussions, I made the point that we buy from the same source, so there is a need for us to also push our prices up. But Korle-Bu took that step, and subsequently, the fees and charges committee of parliament sat to review the fees. But Korle-Bu is lucky to have the First Care group subsidizing the payment for patients; we don’t have that. It is understandable that about 80% of the cases go there because at the time we didn’t have the machines,” he stated.
The Chief Executive Officer of the facility, Prof. Otchere Addai-Mensah, also laments that dialysis does not exist for children in Ghana and mentions that efforts are underway to acquire the needed dialysis equipment for children to ensure they get the chance to survive.
“One major thing we are looking at is dialysis for children. As it is, it appears that dialysis for children does not exist. So that is one area we are looking at to give children the chance to live irrespective of the fact that they have organ failure at such an early age,” he added.
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