The Korle Bu Teaching Hospital is set to reopen its dialysis center next week after receiving essential consumables for treatment.

The center had been closed for 13 days without prior notice, prompting renal patients to threaten to picket after seeking care from private facilities.

In a statement issued by the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital on August 10, management indicated that the much-needed consumables for dialysis have been received from Tema Port and that the centre will start operating early next week.

It added that the Ghana Revenue Authority and the Ghana Supply Company are providing support to expedite the clearance on an emergency basis to ensure that the hospital continues to deliver top-notch care to patients.

They explained that procedural lapses and documentation on the part of the shipping line, unfortunately, caused a delay in the clearance although they initially hoped to have cleared the supplies from the port two weeks ago.

“During this period, we temporarily shifted dialysis operations and had some of the patients treated at the National Cardiothoracic Centre of the Korle in Teaching Hospital to minimise disruption and [not] inconvenience patients.

"We are working diligently to resolve the clearance process over the weekend, and we are optimistic that normal services will resumé promptly,” portions of the statement read.

It added that to prevent future shortages and enhance service delivery and cost efficiency, the Minister of Health, Dr. Bernard Okoe Roye, has procured 30 additional dialysis machines along with a year's supply of consumables for the hospital.

“The specifications of the new machines will allow us to access their essential consumables from the open market at competitive prices,” it added.

The KBTH management apologised to patients and clients for the inconvenience caused and thanked them for their restraint and understanding.