The President of the Renal Patients Association, Baffour Kojo Ahenkorah, has revealed the severe financial burdens that kidney disease patients in Ghana face in accessing essential dialysis treatment.
Speaking on Joy News’ PM Express, Mr Ahenkorah disclosed that, with the soaring costs of dialysis, many patients are resorting to desperate measures, including paying millions of cedis and also trading their property for a kidney.
His statements come after Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia’s announcement that, from December 1, 2024, the government will cover the cost of dialysis treatment under the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), which aims to reduce the financial pressure on kidney patients.
Reflecting on his personal experience, Ahenkorah shared how the costs of dialysis over the last decade have been overwhelming.
“If I’m to calculate the 10 years now, the money I’ve spent, I could have done a transplant easily with that money,” he said.
“But the point is, I don’t have the bulk money to go and do it. So at least then, if I get ¢1000, I go and do a session and see if I can get bulk money. Day in, day out, the time is running. So it’s all about the money.”
Dialysis crisis: People are selling their kidneys for about GHS3 million – Baffour Ahenkorah #PMExpress pic.twitter.com/2gv39akbKS
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Mr Ahenkorah pointed out that while many patients can afford dialysis, they struggle to save for a kidney transplant, which is available at hospitals like Korle Bu and Bank.
One of the major challenges discussed was the shortage of kidney donors. Ahenkorah revealed that economic hardships have led some people in Ghana to sell their kidneys.
“If this thing was there for the last 10 years, probably I could have saved enough or the money that I have, I would have used it to do my transplant, and I’m off,” he explained, expressing hope that the upcoming free dialysis treatment might help patients save towards transplants in the future.
Donations from family members, traditionally the primary source of kidney donations, are becoming increasingly rare.
According to him, the price for a kidney ranges from ¢3 million to ¢4 million, with some people even accepting a two-bedroom apartment as part of the exchange.
However, purchasing a kidney is only part of the financial burden. Mr Ahenkorah emphasized that after buying the organ, patients are still required to pay around $25,000 for the transplant surgery.
“Now, the country is hot; people need money. So if I can live on one kidney, why not?” Mr Ahenkorah stated.
“Some people don’t mind. If they check and you are compatible, that’s it. Some people are selling it for about ¢3 million or ¢4 million. Once you do the labs and you are compatible, it’s ready; they are willing to give it to you. Somebody will say, ‘Get me a two-bedroom apartment, let me go and stay there, and I’ll give you one of my kidneys.’”
In addition to the cost of dialysis and the transplant procedure, Ahenkorah shared how continuous medication, including Erythropoietin and blood pressure drugs, has also drained his finances.
“We need to get it, because now, for somebody even to give this kidney to, people are selling it. People are doing it indirectly. In Ghana, people are doing it indirectly,” he disclosed.