20 Facilities begin free dialysis treatment today

Twenty health facilities spread across the country will from today provide free dialysis treatment to patients with kidney issues.

This follows the successful pilot of the gesture over the last six months, the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) has announced.

The free dialysis treatment is expected to benefit about 1,200 patients nationwide.

Twenty more health facilities are expected to receive the green light from authorities with the passage of time to spread the free dialysis services wider.

The facilities set to begin the free treatment include Hart Adventist Hospital, Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital and Firstcare Hospital, all in the Ashanti Region; Holy Family Hospital in the Bono Region; Cape Coast Teaching Hospital in the Central Region; the Eastern Regional Hospital and the Upper West Regional Hospital.

Others are Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, 37 Military Hospital, Accra Newtown Islamic Hospital Ltd, Ghana Police Hospital, Trust Hospital Premium Centre, Ridge Hospital and the International Maritime Hospital, all in the Greater Accra Region; Tamale Teaching Hospital in the Northern Region and the Upper East Regional Hospital in Bolgatanga.

The rest are the Ho Teaching Hospital and Volta Regional Hospital, both in the Volta Region, and the Effia Nkwanta Regional Hospital and Takoradi Hospital in the Western Region.

The facilities have received the relevant accreditation from the NHIA, making them the NHIA-credentialed centres for the free dialysis programme after the six-month pilot phase.

The initiative, the NHIA said in a statement signed by the Chief Executive Officer of the NHIA, would offer kidney patients registered under the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) access to up to eight free dialysis sessions per month at the selected facilities.

The NHIS will cater for the GH¢491 cost per session for patients.

Machines

To enhance the initiative, the statement said, the government, in partnership with the World Bank, had secured 45 dialysis machines nationwide, adding that seven of the machines had already been delivered, 23 had been cleared and 15 additional machines were being ordered.

“Each batch of 15 machines comes with 2,000 sets of consumables, totalling 6,000 sets for the entire 45 machines. More of such facilities will be procured in the coming years to ensure continued service delivery to patients.

“The programme is being rolled out in collaboration with a range of stakeholders, including 40 facility heads, dialysis unit leaders, the Private Health Association and the leadership of the Dialysis Patient Group,” the statement said.

The statement expressed gratitude for the dedication and cooperation of healthcare providers, stakeholders and patient leaders for their roles in the successful pilot and the national rollout of the free dialysis programme.

“The NHIA remains committed to ensuring the availability of quality healthcare services for all Ghanaians, and we will continue to work collaboratively with all partners to build a sustainable and efficient healthcare system,” the statement said. 

Payments

Meanwhile, the NHIA has released GH¢200 million for the payment of claims to health facilities nationwide.

The amount covers claims submitted and vetted for September and October 2024.

The statement said the latest payment released by the authority would bring the total amount released by the NHIA over the last two months to GH¢1 billion, “underscoring the authority’s ongoing commitment to supporting healthcare providers and ensuring the sustainability of the NHIS”.