The National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) is gearing up to launch its dialysis treatment support program starting June 1, according to the Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Aboagye Da-Costa.
In a media briefing on Wednesday, May 15, Dr. Da-Costa revealed that the program will run for six months, aiming to assist dialysis patients nationwide.
This initiative follows Parliament’s approval of GH₵2 million to aid dialysis patients, alleviating the financial burden associated with the treatment.
Recent data indicates that about 1,300 Ghanaians undergo dialysis, requiring an average of 12 sessions per month. With the cost per session rising from GH₵380 to GHS491, patients now face a monthly cost of nearly GHS6,000 for a complete treatment.
The allocation of funds was determined by a committee comprising key stakeholders, including the Chief Executive Officers and medical directors of prominent healthcare institutions such as Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, and Cape Coast Teaching Hospital.
This committee, chaired by Presidential Advisor on Health, Dr. Nsiah Asare, and including representatives of dialysis patients and Dr. Da-Costa, collaborated to devise a strategy for the fair distribution and use of the funds.
“Based on the money that we had, we knew that we could support two sessions at full cost. For Korle Bu, there is a philanthropy that supports each patient with GH₵380 so we will add the remaining balance so that they don’t pay anything for the two sessions.
“However, the patients at other facilities don’t get any support at all, and to be fair, we decided to support them fully for two sessions as well,” he explained the modality of implementation.