Health Minister designate, Dr. Bernard Okoe-Boye, is advocating for the removal of taxes on dialysis consumables to ease the financial burden on renal patients in Ghana.
His call comes after recent fee hikes for dialysis treatment at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital and Korle Bu Teaching Hospital raised concerns about the affordability of care for patients. Some patients have tragically died due to financial constraints.
During his vetting process, Dr. Okoe-Boye suggested exploring assistance from the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) to help public health facilities providing dialysis treatment.
He also expressed support for removing the cap on the NHIS levy to enhance healthcare financing.
If confirmed as Health Minister, Dr. Okoe-Boye plans to prioritize these initiatives to improve the healthcare financing system and ensure better access to treatment for renal patients in Ghana.