End-stage kidney disease patients below the age of 18 and above 60 years who trooped into the dialysis unit of the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital had to pay for their dialysis treatment despite the announcement by Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia and the national health insurance scheme that, dialysis for these vulnerable groups will be free from June to December 2024.
The vice president in a meeting with some members of the clergy on June 3, 2024 announced that “beginning today 3rd of June, dialysis treatment for everybody under 18 and everybody over 60 in Ghana is free under NHIA”.
However, it appears the health facilities are yet to receive this memo as sources close to the hospital tell GHOne news and Starr News that, the facility is yet to receive the directive from the Ministry of Health and will only cease collecting the dialysis fee of 491 cedis when it hears from the ministry.
This was confirmed by some patients who visited the renal unit of the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital on June 3 and were asked to pay for the service.
At the time the newsroom visited the facility, Florence Decardi Nelson had just brought her 80-year-old husband Victor Sormenaa for his dialysis session and as always, she paid 491 cedis for it.
“This is the receipt of my payment, when we came in today no one at the hospital told us it was supposed to be free so I paid. I only heard of the announcement from other patients we came in today. I hope it takes effect soon because it will be such a huge relief” Florence lamented to the news team.
But speaking to GHOne News, the Director of Corporate Affairs at the National Health Insurance Authority,” Oswald Mensah assured the authority will iron out the details by the end of June.
“Before the end of the month, we’ll correct all the issues. If there’s a situation where people have to be refunded, we will do so. Mind you this is an ongoing process, the announcement has been made but normally payments come to us after a month.”
Meanwhile, some persons between the ages of 18 and 59 years who will receive two dialysis sessions for free per month according to the announcement tell GHOne news, it is not enough. A situation the president of the Renal Patient Association, Mr. Ahenkorah assures will soon be remedied.
“They should be patient, the money is not enough and I have been reliably informed that more sustainable measures will soon be announced.”
The Government of Ghana through Parliament approved an amount of Two Million Ghana Cedis in the NHIA’s 2024 Allocation Formula to support needy and vulnerable patients seeking dialysis treatment. The NHIA through administrative arrangements also allocated an Additional Two Million, four hundred thousand Ghana Cedis to support the initiative.
Source: Ghana/Starrfm.com.gh/103.5FM/Nadima Umar Uthman
