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Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, the Juaboso Constituency Member of Parliament and Ranking Member of the Parliamentary Health Committee, has tasked the government with developing a definitive plan outlining how it will continue to pay for patients’ dialysis treatments.
This follows the announcement made by the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) that it will cover the entire cost of dialysis therapy for patients under the age of eighteen and for those over sixty, while providing a discount for those in the 19–59 age range.
The NDC MP stated that the government needs to be transparent about what will happen after the six-month subsidy.
“We use money on unnecessary things. We dig a whole hole and spend money on it in the name of cathedral and yet we cannot take care of people suffering from renal challenges. What is it that is above the country? So they are simply not ready and this comprehensive plan must come from the government because the health of the people is the wealth of the country, and the health of the people must always be prioritised,”he stressed.
This follows an announcement by the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) regarding the commencement of a six-month free dialysis support programme for renal patients from June to December 2024.
The support, as explained in a statement released by the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) dated June 1, has been divided into two categories – vulnerable groups [patients aged below 18 and above 60] and persons aged 18 to 59 years.
According to the Scheme, “patients under 18 and above 60 years will receive all eight free dialysis per sessions per month” with a cumulative cost estimated to be approximately GH₵ 2.3 million.
It added that “patients from the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH), Cape Coast Teaching Hospital (CCTH), Effia Nkwanta Regional Hospital (EFRH), Ho Teaching Hospital (HTH), and Tamale Teaching Hospital will receive two dialysis sessions per month at GH₵ 982.00 that is GH₵491 per session.”
“The cost of dialysis for this treatment category [persons aged 18 to 59 years] is projected to be GH₵144,354 per month and by the end of December 2024, the cumulative cost is estimated to be approximately GH₵ 1.01 million.”
Renal patients at Korle Bu Teaching Hospital (KATH) would receive GH₵491 per month for two dialysis sessions, however they will not benefit from the above.
NHIA clarified that this was because renal patients were receiving GH₵380.00 as a charitable gesture.
The initiative’s GH ₵4.4 million cost was also mentioned, and the government’s dedication to developing long-term treatments for ailments not currently covered, like as kidney diseases, was reaffirmed.
Speaking briefly about this, Mr. Mintah Akandoh stated that the National Health Insurance Fund makes enough money to cover patients’ costs of dialysis therapy.
Read the full statement from the MP below:
Source: Ghanatodayonline.com
