The National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) will begin providing support for dialysis treatment on June 1, according to its Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Aboagye Da-Costa. This initiative follows Parliament’s approval of GH₵2 million to assist patients requiring dialysis nationwide.
Speaking in an interview on Wednesday, May 15, Dr. Da-Costa announced that the support will be implemented for six months. He noted that a committee consisting of major stakeholders, including the CEOs and medical directors of Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, and Cape Coast Teaching Hospital, decided on the funds allocation. The committee was chaired by Presidential Advisor on Health, Dr. Nsiah Asare, with Dr. Da-Costa and the spokesperson for dialysis patients as members.
According to Dr. Da-Costa, the support will cover two sessions of dialysis at full cost for patients at Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, who currently receive philanthropic support of GH₵380 per session. Patients at other facilities, who do not receive any support, will also be fully supported for two sessions.
Dr. Da-Costa explained that the final step before rolling out the support involves developing the necessary mechanisms. “All I need now is to develop the BRG code so that when patients go to hospitals or facilities, they can access this support. The money is available; it’s left with the mechanism, so by June 1, we should roll this out.”
When asked about the sustainability of the support, Dr. Da-Costa expressed hope that by the end of the sixth month, the government would have allocated more funds to the initiative.
