Audio By Carbonatix
The Renal Dialysis unit of the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital (KBTH) has yet again accumulated an amount of GH₵2 million in debt for treating kidney patients.
This comes three months after the government settled an initial debt of GH₵4 million incurred by the Renal unit.
According to the Director of Medical Affairs at the KBTH, Dr Owusu Sekyere, the facility had incurred another debt because renal patients pay only half of the dialysis treatment cost, and there are no other ways to substitute the remaining expenses.
Speaking in an interview on Joy FM’s Midday News on February 9, he said, “We are also a preview to the fact that the cost of Korle Bu Teaching hospital performing one dialysis is well over GH₵720 cedis, and patients are paying GH₵380, so there is a difference of about GH₵380 or GH₵400 that needs to be looked at.
“I think that is what led to the shutdown initially then we got consignment and there was a huge discussion about it. There was a bill of GH₵4 million cedis that have been accumulated because of the exchange rate and then other things that happened which have been cleared but the fact remains that we still haven’t tackled the difference in the cost.
“Since we opened, giving dialysis at that rate till now, I don’t think it is strange to know that we have accumulated another GH₵2 million bill.”
Dr Sekyere hopes Parliament approves their proposed fees.
Meanwhile, the President of the Renal Patients Association of Ghana, Baffour Kojo Ahenkora, said he visited the renal unit today to undergo dialysis at GH₵380.
He stressed that even with that amount, some of his members could not afford the cost of undergoing dialysis.
Mr Ahenkora prayed that the prices would not be changed because many might lose their lives.
Read also: Korle Bu Renal Unit reopens; asks Parliament to swiftly approve new fees
In May 2023, the Renal Unit was shut down with hospital authorities blaming the situation on the removal of tax and excise duty exemption on medical consumables.
Read also: Hike in kidney dialysis cost just a proposal, but it may go up soon – Korle Bu CEO
This had created a GH₵ 4 million cedi debt for the hospital.
The centre was subsequently opened on Monday, November 6 after some engagement with the Minister of Health, Kwaku Agyeman Manu.
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