The Ministry of Health (MoH) has secured 30 additional dialysis machines for the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital.
The new machines, said to have their own consumables that can last for up to a year, will be deployed to the new Urology and Nephrology Center of Excellence at the hospital and installed for use before the end of the year.
In an interview with the Daily Graphic yesterday, on the 12th of August, the Head of the Public Relations Office of the hospital, Mustapha Salifu, said the machines were purchased through the initiative of the Minister of Health, Dr. Bernard Okoe Boye.
He said that unlike the machines they were presently using, which required the ordering of consumables from manufacturers, the specifications of the new machines allowed them to access their essential consumables from the open market at competitive prices.
It can be recalled that the renal dialysis unit of the hospital was shut down about two weeks ago due to a shortage of consumables. However, Mr. Salifu said the hospital had managed to secure a significant quantity of essential consumables for dialysis, which were being processed for delivery at the Tema Port.
Explaining what led to the shutdown, Mr. Salifu said the consumables were expected to be cleared from the port two weeks ago, but procedural lapses and documentation issues on the part of the shipping line unfortunately delayed the process.
He said during the period, they had to temporarily shift dialysis operations and refer some of the patients to the National Cardiothoracic Center of the hospital to minimise disruption and inconvenience to patients.
“We sincerely apologise to our patients and clients for any inconvenience this situation may have caused and wish to express gratitude for their restraint and understanding,” he said.
However, he noted that the unit would be open for dialysis patients by tomorrow.
He said, “The Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) and Ghana Supply Company are providing vital support to expedite this clearance on an emergency basis to ensure that we continue to deliver top-notch care to our valued patients. We anticipate that the outpatient section of our dialysis center will return to full operations by Wednesday.”
He extended the gratitude of the hospital to the Minister of Health, the Ministry of Finance and GRA, among others, for helping to overcome the challenge.
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.
Mr. Ahenkorah said that apart from the cheap cost, the treatment at Korle Bu was quality, explaining that it had a powerful machine that, 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.
