Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, Member of Parliament for Juaboso and Ranking Member on the Parliamentary Select Committee on Health, has called for urgent intervention to address the prolonged closure of the Renal Unit’s outpatient department at Korle Bu Teaching Hospital.
The closure, which has persisted due to financial constraints, has raised serious concerns about the well-being of dialysis patients in the country.
The closure of the Renal Unit’s outpatient department was initially attributed to a scarcity of essential medical consumables for dialysis.
However, after the procurement of these consumables, the hospital faced an unexpected increase in fees from GH¢380 to GH¢765.42.
Conflicting statements from the hospital’s officials regarding tax exemptions and additional costs further complicated the matter, leaving patients in limbo.
In a statement read on the floor of Parliament on Thursday, the Ranking Member lamented that the debt should not be a reason to deny Ghanaians the needed treatment.
“GHS4.0 million cedis should not be the reason for which many Ghanaian men, women, and children are denied critical dialysis treatment.”
“Whatever financial bottlenecks are warranting the continuous closure of the dialysis center should not be countenanced by the government, nor this house,”* Hon. Akandoh emphasized, expressing deep concern over the situation.
“It is imperative that the Renal Unit’s outpatient department is promptly reopened and the approved GH¢380 fees are reinstated. Government must absorb, in the interest of dialysis patients, whatever the difference is above the GH¢380,” Hon. Akandoh demanded, urging the government to take immediate action to alleviate the financial strain on patients and ensure their timely access to life-saving dialysis treatment.
During a meeting with a section of Minority MPs, the Minister for Health assured plans were underway to reopen the center soon.
However, the prolonged closure has led to the unfortunate loss of more than 19 outpatients, underscoring the urgency of the matter and the necessity for immediate intervention.
“The denial of essential healthcare services is a severe violation of patients’ rights and a breach of public trust. We implore the government to work diligently with the hospital to rectify this situation and uphold its commitment to providing accessible and affordable healthcare services to all citizens,” Akandoh stressed, urging the Minister of Health and the hospital’s administration to address the situation as a matter of priority.
He called on the House to demand a swift, transparent, and equitable resolution to this issue, ensuring relief for the patients who have endured this ordeal and renewing faith in the country’s healthcare institutions.