The government is looking into ways it can provide dialysis at a reasonable price due to the high cost of treating kidney disease.
According to Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, government is hoping to achieve this by facilitating the production of dialysate, a solution of pure water, electrolytes, and salts used in dialysis.
Speaking at a public symposium held last Thursday in Accra by the Ghana Kidney Association and the Ghana College of Physicians and Surgeons to commemorate the 50th anniversary of dialysis in Ghana, the Vice President urged the private sector to work with the government to achieve affordable healthcare for kidney disease patients.
“One of the lessons we learnt from Covid-19 was the need to build our capacity to produce vaccines. Last week, for example, we had a meeting where we were looking at the progress on vaccine manufacturing in Ghana. One of the lessons we learned is that the COVID-19 vaccine manufacturing is actually a lot more complicated than if we were to manufacture some of the consumables for dialysis in Ghana.”
“I believe very, very firmly that in collaboration with the private sector, what we have done to bring in vaccine manufacturing in Ghana, we can do the same for Dialysate manufacturing,” he said.
Dr Mahamudu Bawumia explained, that due to the current state of the local currency, the cost of importing the materials needed for dialysis has shot up significantly.
He is optimistic that Ghana will soon independently ensure that citizens in dire need of dialysis will have easy access at subsidised rates compared to the current prices.
“We can do it. It’s less complicated than what we have for vaccines. And so government would be prepared to support in whatever way to make sure we manufacture here,” he stressed.
It is reported that 14 percent of the population suffers from a chronic kidney disease. A kidney patient is expected to pay between GH₵400 and GH₵595 for three dialysis sessions per week.
On average, one is supposed to pay GH₵4,800 per month and over GH₵50,000 for dialysis services per year.
In the meantime, the government is considering including dialysis on the list of treatments covered by the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS).
“One of the issues that have come up here is the request for the government to take steps to make sure that the NHIS is able to cover dialysis treatment. This is a very good point, and I think that at the very least, the NHIS at least could cover treatment for children on dialysis to start with,” the Vice President mentioned.
Dr Bawumia, however, noted that the NHIS would not be able to cater for such extra expense, and thus called on citizens to be willing to pay a litte more to ensure the Scheme caters for dialysis.
“Whilst we also advocate for the NHIS to come in for dialysis treatment, we should also think about their finances and also advocate for more financing for the NHIS to make whatever challenges they take on sustainable. We don’t want to break the NHIS in the process; then everybody loses out,” he said.
He recalled when the NHIS sought to cover childhood cancers, but faced difficulties in funding the tests that had to be carried out.
Source: The Independent Ghana