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Hundreds of renal disease patients will benefit from
the government’s rolled-out free dialysis program, effective December 1, 2024.
The National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) Chief
Executive, Dr. Da-Costa Aboagye, projected over 1,200 beneficiaries during a
media briefing at the Head Office in Accra, where he officially announced the dialysis
program’s complete rollout.
He said the Authority would need between Ghs20 million
and Ghs57 million annually to reimburse credentialled healthcare facilities
mandated to provide the services.
He explained that the program will be funded by the
government, the annual budgetary allocations, development partners, and
corporate bodies.
“Currently, the Finance Minister has allocated about
GHC2 billion for the next three months, which means we are receiving about
GHC600 million per month. The free dialysis program is sustainable, regardless
of a change in government.
It will not affect the free dialysis treatment, as
the service has already been incorporated into the NHIS Benefit Package and
backed by the constitution.”
“In 2025, regardless of the situation, we know that Ghs1.3
billion will be coming in.
So, with this, we are confident that it is
sustainable, and we will be able to fund dialysis, including the provision of
equipment.”
Dr. Da-Costa Aboagye further revealed that the NHIA,
in partnership with the World Bank and the Ministry of Health, will procure
additional dialysis machines and consumables to support healthcare facilities.
“Currently, we've ordered 30 pieces of this equipment.
Seven have been delivered, and 23 will be cleared at the Ports. Fifteen
additional ones have also been approved by the Public Procurement Authority.
The good news is that each of these machines comes with about 2,000
consumables.
So, it means that with the 45 machines, we have 6,000 sets of
consumables.”
“The procurement of these machines is part of a larger
government strategy under the Agenda 111 initiative, and dialysis centers will
be established to ensure people do not have to travel far for treatment.”
“The free dialysis policy is a major step forward in
the country's healthcare delivery. We are committed to ensuring that all
Ghanaians have access to quality healthcare services, regardless of their
financial situation, and we are excited to launch it today,” he emphasized.
The Acting Chief Executive of Korle-Bu Teaching
Hospital, Dr. Frank Owusu-Sekyere, expressed his outfit's readiness to
accommodate the anticipated surge in the number of renal patients.
“We are ready to start on December 1. Arrangements
have been made at the rental units, so all is set. Consumables are also being
brought in, so there is no cause for alarm.”
Source: Vivian Arthur
Photo Credit: Ebenezer Danso
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