Former presidential advisor on Health and Chair of the Dialysis Committee, Dr Anthony Nsiah Asare, has dismissed claims by the Health Minister Kwabena Mintah Akandoh that there is no active free dialysis policy.
He insists that the Akufo-Addo government secured World Bank funding to support free dialysis treatment until the end of 2025 after a pilot programme ran from June to November 2024.
Health Minister Mintah Akandoh told JoyNews that the initiative originally covering children under 18 and adults over 60 before expanding to all renal patients had no dedicated funding.
“I get confused when people say that there is free dialysis somewhere in Ghana. This is a misleading statement. There is no free dialysis anywhere,” he insisted.
He explained that only 4 million cedis was allocated, with 2 million coming from the budget and another 2 million from corporate social responsibility funding.
“You can’t depend on 4 million cedis for something that requires at least 75 million cedis. The National Health Insurance formula expired on 31st December 2024. Beyond that date, there is absolutely nothing like free dialysis,” he added.
But speaking to JoyNews, Dr Nsiah Asare refuted these claims, stating that public health should be a priority. “Ensuring affordable healthcare is a core mandate of any responsible government. The funds were secured, and dialysis treatment should not be abandoned,” he said.
In Parliament, former Health Committee Chair Dr Nana Ayew Afriyie also opposed the Health Minister’s claims, insisting that funds are available to sustain dialysis treatment.
Meanwhile, the Renal Patients Association president, Kojo Baffour Ahenkora, has cautioned the government against cancelling the policy, warning that it could increase the mortality rate among kidney patients.
“For the past three weeks, we have been trying to meet with the Minister to discuss the way forward, but we have not been successful. The mortality rate is currently low, but if this policy is cancelled, deaths will rise because many of the patients are young between 18 and 40 years old, including students who are not working. We even have nine and 13-year-olds on dialysis. Where will they find the money?” he questioned.
He urged the government to fix any flaws in the previous administration’s approach rather than abandon the policy. “I think if the previous administration did not do something right, they should correct it and let us move forward, we need to move forward from some of these things, we the individuals cannot pay,” he added.
As the world marks Kidney Day under the theme “Are Your Kidneys OK? Detect Early, Protect Kidney Health,” awareness is being raised about kidney disease in Ghana.
Early detection and treatment are essential in preventing kidney failure and reducing the burden on dialysis services.
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