Presidential advisor on health, Dr. Anthony Nsiah-Asare, has revealed that the government will soon provide health insurance cover to patients on dialysis treatment.
This, Dr. Nsiah-Asare said would help ease the financial burden of persons and families with kidney diseases.
“The cost of treating one patient on renal dialysis for a year is about GH¢50,700, and I’m sure most families cannot afford that amount for one patient alone; it’s huge, and it’s out of the reach of people.
“So, we also want to set up a renal fund or insurance system that will care for renal cases,” he said.
He made this known at the launch of an ultra-modern renal centre at the Bank Hospital in Accra.
Dr. Nsiah-Asare said the intention of the government is to pass a law to regulate the donation of kidneys to patients who may have to undergo a kidney transplant.
“But before we do that, we have to put a legislation in place to back kidney transplant so that people don’t just catch people on the street and remove their kidneys to sell,” he noted.
A senior doctor at the Bank Hospital, Dr. Charlotte Osafo said many young Ghanaians are developing kidney infections, a phenomenon he said is worrying.
According to her, the number of young people contracting the disease is rising.
Dr. Osafo therefore cautioned the public to take preventative steps to fight the disease adding that “the main thing that makes people get kidney disease in Ghana – the first thing is hypertension. A lot of people have hypertension, but they don’t control hypertension.”
“So, it is important that if you are diagnosed, you also have to do certain things like reducing your salt intake, reducing your weight, regular exercise and eating healthier food.
“All those are important, not only for hypertensive patients but also for people with diabetes, because diabetes is also one of the causes of kidney failure.
“Infections are also one of the causes. If you go to the hospital and they say you’ve got an infection of the kidney, and they give you medications, you have to take it,” she urged.
