Kidney patients in Eastern Region will no longer embark on stressful and life threatening journeys to Accra and Kumasi for dialysis services following the commissioning of a dialysis center at the Eastern Regional Hospital in Koforidua.
Three out of the four world class dialysis machines were donated through the collaboration of BDAC Ghana Foundation and Dr. Fredua Agyemang Ofori-Atta family in USA.
Kidneys are critical organs in human bodies, removing waste and excess water and controlling the acidity balance in the blood.
Chronic kidney disease (CKD) impairs the kidneys’ abilities to perform these essential functions, and can be caused by high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity, smoking and other risk factors.
It is estimated that ,one in three people in the general population is at increased risk of CKD.Although an estimated 10% to 14% of people worldwide have CKD, estimates suggest 9 in 10 of those are unaware of their condition.
The Ghana Health Service is worried about increasing incidences of Chronic Kidney diseases making it among the top ten causes of deaths in the country.
The Eastern Regional Hospital for instance recorded 43 acute cases of kidney diseases referred from the wards in 2021.
However,the hospital did not have any renal dialysis center to manage the cases leaving many kidney patients to their fate.
“When they refer patients from all over the region, most hospitals cannot handle such patients, so these patients come in here and then because we do not have definitive treatment which is the dialysis machine for them we also needed to refer them to Accra especially Korle Bu and 37 hospital.
“It is difficult referring them because you know about the low bed syndrome and beyond that the cost of transporting them looking for an ambulance for these patients who are not stable and then when they get there ,there is a queue so in 2020 at the height of the pandemic we could not even make the referrals anymore and then we have to watch some of these patients die”. The medical director at the Eastern Regional Hospital Dr.Arko Akoto Ampaw
Fortunately ,a dialysis center has been commissioned on Wednesday February 23,2021 at the hospital to meet the increasing demand for dialysis services by kidney patients in the region.
The Medical Director of Eastern Regional Hospital Dr.Arko Akoto Ampaw said with this facility many lives including pregnant women will be saved.
“The impact has been so tremendous , for me the more important ones are the acute cases where somebody’s kidney shuts down for a period and all that person needs is one section maximum three sections to begin to reverse all the problems that the person has had and in those sections they are able to gain back their function of the kidney and then they go on to live their lives”
Especially in the pregnant women who as a result of the pregnancy develop hypertension which complicates the kidney leading into acute urinal failure , these women are put on the machine and we reverse the trend, we can confidently say that we are able to pass the catheter and the lines that will allow us to put the patient on the machine” Dr.Akoto Ampaw said
Eastern Regional Director of Ghana Health Service ,Dr.Winfred Ofosu ,bemoaned that 13 out of every 100 Ghanaian has chronic kidney disease. He said studies have shown that, abuse of herbal medicines and excessive intake of alcohol particularly bitters have serious effect on kidney health.
The Eastern Regional Minister Seth Kwame Acheampong was hopeful ,the dialysis center will help save lives of kidney patients in the region and improve on holistic healthcare.
Some kidney patients and family members were elated about the new facility .They however lamented the high cost of dialysis services therefore appealed to government for support.
Source : Ghana/Starrfm.com.gh/Kojo Ansah
