The National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) is currently exploring the possibility of including kidney disease treatment in its coverage.
Kidney disease treatment has become a growing concern among individuals aged 30 to 40, prompting the NHIA to conduct actuarial research on this matter.
He explained that the NHIA has taken initial steps towards incorporating renal disease treatment into its scheme.
This move comes in light of the urgent need to address the rising prevalence of kidney disease among the youth.
In a related development, the Renal Patients Association shared distressing news that 14 outpatients from the renal unit at Korle Bu Teaching Hospital lost their lives when the unit was abruptly closed to them in May 2023.
This closure resulted in patients being unable to access critical dialysis treatment, ultimately leading to their untimely deaths.
During a press conference in Accra on Monday, Mr Michael Asante, the spokesperson for the Association, revealed that these tragic deaths were primarily due to patient’s inability to afford the high cost of dialysis treatment at private centres, which is substantially more expensive compared to the services provided at the public hospital.
Mr Asante stated, “As we speak, the renal unit has been closed since May 22, 2023, to outpatients.
“Patients have gone through turbulent times, as we struggle to finance our dialysis treatment at private dialysis centres across the centres.”
He further lamented, “Unfortunately, during this shutdown period, we have lost about 14 of our friends.
“This has left the rest of us living in constant fear for our tomorrow, as we do not know who amongst us will be next to lose their lives needlessly.”
In light of these tragic events, the Association appealed to the government to consider including dialysis treatment in the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) and covering the associated costs.
Mr Oswald Mensah, the Director of Corporate Affairs at NHIA, hinted at this development in response to public outcry regarding the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital’s decision to increase the cost of kidney disease treatment by one hundred percent. Mr Mensah made this revelation during an interview on Joy FM’s 6:00 am news on Tuesday, October 3, 2023.