Dialysis patients in Ghana are facing a desperate situation as they struggle to afford life-saving treatments due to a significant price increase.
The cost of dialysis has jumped from 380 to 491, rendering it unaffordable for many patients who are already burdened with managing their health conditions. Abigail Ohenewaa Mintah, a kidney patient, expressed her distress over the situation, highlighting that the cost hike was approved by Parliament. “I skipped my session as a result of the price increase. I can’t eat although I am hungry, and it is affecting me a lot because I don’t want to be too heavy,” Mintah said.
Kwaku Kwarteng, another patient, echoed similar sentiments, revealing the pervasive fear induced by the financial strain. “Now you are even afraid to drink water or eat because you don’t know where you are going to get money for the dialysis,” Kwarteng said.
The president of the Dialysis Patients Association, Kojo Bafour Ahenkora, lamented the timing of the increment, suggesting that it could have been postponed until efforts to include dialysis treatment costs under the National Health Insurance Scheme were finalized. Ahenkora urged authorities to reconsider the decision, emphasizing, “If it’s Parliament who did this, we beg them to revisit the issues and do something about it.”
The situation has sparked renewed conversations about the cost of dialysis and the insufficient number of machines available. As patients continue to grapple with the financial burden, their plea for affordable access to essential healthcare grows louder.
