- The Ministry of Health has provided Korle Bu Teaching Hospital with 30 new dialysis machines
- The acquisition comes in response to a recent temporary closure of the Renal Dialysis Unit
- The new dialysis machines are designed to enhance the hospital's service quality
The Ministry of Health (MoH) has delivered 30 new dialysis machines to the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital. These machines, each equipped with consumables sufficient for a year, will be installed at the hospital’s new Urology and Nephrology Centre of Excellence by the end of the year.
Mustapha Salifu, the hospital’s Head of Public Relations, announced the acquisition in an interview with the press.
The procurement was spearheaded by Health Minister Dr. Bernard Okoe Boye. The new machines aim to enhance the hospital’s service quality and operational efficiency, and to mitigate the risk of future shortages.
Unlike the current machines, which require consumables ordered directly from manufacturers, the new machines will allow the hospital to purchase these supplies from the open market at more competitive rates.
Salifu also addressed the recent temporary closure of the hospital’s Renal Dialysis Unit due to a shortage of consumables.
The hospital has since secured a substantial amount of essential supplies, which are currently being processed for delivery at the Tema Port.
Dialysis services for inpatients resumed yesterday, and the outpatient services are expected to fully reopen by Wednesday.
He attributed the delay in consumables clearance to procedural issues and documentation errors with the shipping line. During this period, some patients were referred to the National Cardiothoracic Centre to minimize disruption.
Salifu expressed gratitude to the Minister of Health, the Ministry of Finance, the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), and others for their support in addressing the issue.
He also apologized to patients for any inconvenience caused and thanked them for their patience and understanding.
Reacting to the news of the reopening of the Renal Dialysis Unit, the President of the Renal Patient Association of Ghana, Baffour Kojo Ahenkorah, said it was welcome news because they did not need to seek the services of private facilities where the cost of treatment was very high.
“The cheapest we get are between GH¢600 to GH¢1,000. Your medication has not come; your injection has not come. So roughly, you need to look for about GH¢1,500 a week if you go to the private facilities. Korle Bu charges GH¢491 per session and that is the cheapest you can get anywhere,” he explained.
Mr Ahenkorah said apart from the cheap cost, the treatment at Korle Bu was quality, explaining that it had a powerful machine, which after passing through, felt like one’s system was working well.
“The kind of services Korle Bu provides some of the private facilities cannot compare with them. That is why when the unit is shut down, we are worried,” he said.
He called on the hospital to find a lasting solution to the problem of shortage of consumables, adding that almost every day somebody had to be dialysed.
