The Korle Bu Teaching Hospital's Renal Unit
The Korle Bu Teaching Hospital's Renal UnitKorle Bu acquires thirty new dialysis units.
August 13th, 2024, 04:21 Augustina Tawiah
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Thirty more dialysis machines have been purchased by the Ministry of Health (MoH) for the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital.
Before the year is up, the new machines—which have their own consumables that last for a year—will be deployed to the hospital's new Urology and Nephrology Centre of Excellence and put into service.
In an interview with the Daily Graphic yesterday, Mustapha Salifu, the hospital's head of the public relations office, revealed that the devices were acquired at the suggestion of Dr. Bernard Okoe Boye, the health minister.
They are intended to avoid shortages in the future and enhance the hospital's cost-effectiveness and service delivery.
He said that the specs of the new machines enabled them to get their necessary consumables from the open market at cheap costs, in contrast to the equipment they were already using, which needed ordering supplies from the makers.
Speaking about the hospital's Renal Dialysis Unit being shut down two weeks ago because of a lack of supplies, Mr. Salifu stated that the hospital had secured a sizable amount of necessary dialysis supplies, which it clarified were being prepared for delivery at the Tema Port.
He said that as a result, the unit will be available for outpatient dialysis by tomorrow. He revealed that inpatient dialysis had commenced yesterday, with five patients receiving dialysate by 2:00 p.m.
"In order to guarantee that we keep giving our esteemed patients with the best treatment possible, the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) and Ghana Supply Company are offering crucial assistance to expedite this clearance on an emergency basis. By Wednesday, we expect our Dialysis Center's outpatient department to be fully operational again," Mr. Salifu said.
Mr Salifu explained the reasons for the closure, stating that the consumables were supposed to be released from the port two weeks ago, but the shipping line's paperwork problems and procedural errors caused the procedure to be delayed.
In order to reduce patient interruption and annoyance, he added, dialysis procedures had to be temporarily moved, and some patients were sent to the hospital's National Cardiothoracic Centre.
"We sincerely apologise to our patients and clients for any inconvenience this situation may have caused and wish to express gratitude for their restraint and understanding," he said.
He expressed the hospital's appreciation to the Ministry of Finance, the Health Minister, and GRA, among others, for their assistance in overcoming the obstacle.
Good news!
In response to the announcement of the Renal Dialysis Unit's reopening, Baffour Kojo Ahenkorah, President of the Renal Patient Association of Ghana, said it was good news since it eliminated the need for them to seek treatment at expensive private clinics.
The most affordable prices we can find range from GH¢600 to GH¢1,000. Your injection and medicine have not arrived. Accordingly, if you visit the private facilities, you should budget around GH¢1,500 every week. "The cheapest you can find anywhere is Korle Bu, who charges GH¢491 per session," he said.
Mr. Ahenkorah said that in addition to being reasonably priced, the care received at Korle Bu was of high quality. He explained that the facility featured a strong machine that, after using it, made one feel as if their system was functioning properly.
Some of the private amenities are incomparable to the services Korle Bu offers. We are concerned when the unit is shut down because of this," he added.
He urged the hospital to come up with a long-term solution to the consumables scarcity issue, noting that someone needed to be dialysed almost every day.
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