Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the Ministry of Health, Isaac Baah Ofei, has confirmed that the Minister of Health has directed the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital to immediately reopen the Renal Dialysis Unit for outpatient service.
“The Minister has directed the Chief Executive Officer of Korle-Bu to as a matter of urgency, see to the opening of the centre and so he directed as well that while it is opened, Korle-Bu should issue a statement for the general public to know exactly what is going on and when they can get access to the place,” the PRO confirmed this in an interview on Accra based Citi TV.
The Unit was closed in May 2023 to outpatient services due to high cost of dialysis consumables and outstanding GH₵4 million cedis debt owed.
As a result of the closure, a number of deaths were recorded as patients could not afford dialysis treatment at private dialysis centres, which is more expensive than the treatment offered at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital.
According to Mr Offei Baah, the concerns of the hospital have been addressed, adding that the debt will be settled.
Parliament has however summoned the Minister of Health, Kwaku Agyeman-Manu, to appear before it on Thursday, November 9, 2023, to explain the closure of the Renal Unit and measures taken by government to address the challenges that led to its closure and the surge in cases of kidney-related diseases.
