The Chief Executive Officer of the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA), Dr. Dacosta Aboagye, stated that 40 medical facilities will be offered free government dialysis services because many Ghanaians cannot afford the cost during his talk on Joy News’ AM Show on Monday, November 25.
Starting December 1, 2024, 40 medical facilities nationwide will provide free dialysis services to both public and private facilities, as announced by Dr. Aboagye. The NHIA has already included dialysis services in its services, benefiting many Ghanaians struggling with the cost. Earlier this year, a test program for patients under the age of 18 and over 60 was started.
Between 4 million and 5.2 million people in the nation are estimated to have some kind of kidney-related problems, and the cost of dialysis now ranges from GHC300 to GHC1,000.
“We currently have about 40 of these centers that our patients would have to go to.” He clarified that the NHIA will meet with the leaders of these facilities on to talk about how they will provide the service to patients.
Dr. Aboagye further emphasized that the program is sustainable because the authority has the funds to carry it out. He added that the free dialysis treatment will not be affected by a change of government because it is currently part of the NHIA benefits package and is supported by the constitution.
Per the data currently available, the number of dialysis patients in the nation is around 2,000. These people frequently look for other treatments and only seek renal care when everything gets very serious. This has a negative impact on their life expectancy and quality of life.
Submitted by Adiza Ibrahim
SOURCE: MYJOYONLINE
