A civil group called that Private Health Facilities Association of Ghana has called on the government to scrap import duties on dialysis machines to enable a smooth implementation of the government’s initiative to provide free dialysis for kidney patients.
The Vice President and flagbearer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, while speaking at a stakeholder meeting in the Old Tafo Pankrono constituency, announced that starting December 1, 2024, the government will provide free dialysis for all kidney patients covered by the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS).
Reacting to the initiative in an interview with Channel One News, Samuel Boakye Donkor, the vice president of the association, explained that scrapping off duties on the importation of dialysis machines will help health facilities import more, hence reducing the cost of dialysis.
“If the import of dialysis machines is duty-free, there will be more in the country and the cost of dialysis would no longer be expensive. If not, we will be compelled to look at the cost of machines, duties paid, how much the NHIS is offering and maybe charge patients for top-up,” he said.
He added that the cost of dialysis will be seamlessly absorbed by the NHIS if import taxes are scrapped.
“When the duties are off, there will be more of the machines and you cannot charge much, and the NHIS can be able to pay for all Ghanaian patients without they topping up.”
According to the Health Facilities Regulatory Agency (HeFRA), there are only 14 registered dialysis centres in the country. Of the 14 centres, seven are state-owned and seven privately owned.
Global estimates suggest that Ghana should have around 15,400 patients requiring dialysis.
However, the current number of patients receiving dialysis is 1,195. This represents 7.8% of the estimated demand for this life-saving treatment.
