The Speaker of Parliament, Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, has commissioned a GH¢4 million expanded dialysis unit at the Upper West Regional Hospital in Wa, aimed at improving access to kidney care across northern Ghana.
Built by Sustainable Health Education and Interventions Limited (SHEILD), in partnership with the Ministry of Health, the Ghana Health Service, the Upper West Parliamentary Caucus and other development partners, the unit now has six new dialysis machines, recliner chairs and ancillary equipment, along with staff training support.
The expansion is expected to serve patients from the Upper West, Upper East, North East, Savannah and Bono regions, many of whom previously had to travel to Tamale, Kumasi or Accra for treatment.
At the commissioning, Mr Bagbin said quality health care was a constitutional right that should not depend on where a person lived.
He noted that patients with chronic kidney disease in the region had long faced costly journeys and emotional strain to access dialysis, with some dying for lack of early treatment.
“I know the sacrifices our families make, and the anxiety of travelling hundreds of kilometres in search of specialised health care," he said, adding, "Health care is not a privilege reserved for those who live close to our major cities."
Mr Bagbin called on Ghanaians, particularly those in the diaspora, to support development projects through transparent and accountable systems, noting that funds for the project were managed directly by SHEILD to ensure accountability.
Hospital capacity strain
The acting Medical Director, Dr Philip K. K. Baabineh, described the commissioning as a landmark for specialist care in the region.
Before 2022, he said, patients requiring dialysis had virtually no access locally.
He said starting with a single donated machine and later two more, the hospital's renal unit had still managed 4,916 dialysis sessions for 268 patients despite severe capacity constraints.
Therefore, he said the six new machines would significantly cut waiting times and expand access to renal care.
The Upper West Regional Director of the Ghana Health Service, Dr Josephat Ana-Imwine Nyuzaghl, said kidney disease was becoming a major public health challenge in the region, driven largely by uncontrolled hypertension, diabetes and infections.
He noted that the Upper West Regional Hospital remained the only facility offering dialysis in the region, making the expansion critical.
He added that the upgraded facility would support plans to develop the hospital into a teaching site, complementing efforts by the University of Business and Integrated Development Studies (UBIDS) to establish a School of Medicine and Health Sciences.
A board director of SHEILD, Dr Sylvia Anie, said the Wa project followed nearly two years of planning and procurement and urged the public to seek early medical attention for symptoms of serious illness.
In a message delivered by his spokesperson, Jinpenhi Naa Kadiri Ibrahim, the Wa Naa commended Mr Bagbin for his continued contribution to the region's development and urged the hospital to maintain the facility for its long-term benefit.
