By: Gyamfuah Owusu-Ackom
The Korle Bu renal unit has been re-opened after being closed down for three weeks.
A visit to the unit by happyghana.com today showed the unit was fully operational, with patients being treated.
Public Relations Officer of the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, Mustapha Salifu, told happyghana.com that as early as 3 a.m. today, the first set of patients had started their dialysis and treatment was ongoing as planned.
Regarding the adequacy of the available dialysis machines, Mr. Salifu noted that the hospital is currently using the same machines as before. However, he mentioned that the Ministry of Health is expected to provide an additional 30 machines to meet the increasing demand.
“We need more machines to ensure uninterrupted patient care. We have audited and reviewed our system to prevent future disruptions. We are hopeful that the measures we’ve put in place will prevent this issue from recurring,” he emphasized.
Kojo Baffour Ahenkora, President of the Kidney Patients Associatio commenting on the reopening, expressed concern about the reliability of the service, stating, “The unit is open now, but our concern is how secure the situation really is. This back and forth has been ongoing for a while, open today, closed tomorrow.”
Mr. Ahenkora further urged the hospital to ensure that sufficient consumables are available to sustain operations through the rest of the year.
“We need to be informed because we don’t want this situation to repeat. People’s lives are at stake, and the unit needs to remain open continuously. Patients require regular dialysis, and new cases keep coming in. If resources are insufficient, they should be transparent with us. We’re pleading with them to maintain stock levels so we can receive our treatment and live in peace,” he appealed.
One of the patients, Lydia Aggrey, who was in for her treatment, described the recent situation as distressing.
She revealed that during the closure, she had to seek dialysis at another facility, which charged GHC 800 per session, not including transportation, and required twice-weekly visits.
“I’ve lost everything due to this. Even though the unit is open today, it’s possible they could call us on Friday to say they’re out of supplies again. We’re urging the government and hospital administration to intervene and help us because we’re really suffering,” she pleaded.
