Chief Executive Officer of Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, Dr. Opoku Ware Ampomah, has clarified the circumstances surrounding the temporary shutdown of the hospital’s renal unit.
He explained that, the closure was due to a lack of consumables, which were expected in March but delayed.
Speaking in an interview on Asempa FM’s Ekosii Sen programme Thursday, Dr. Ampomah said the hospital did not turn patients away.
“It was just unfortunate. We didn’t sack people to go and die; we only had to take care of things” he said.
Dr. Ampomah mentioned that. the delayed shipment has now arrived, and the two containers of consumables have allowed the hospital to resume outpatient dialysis services.
“Now that the consumables have arrived, we’ve resumed outpatient services,” he confirmed.
Addressing the rising number of kidney cases, Dr. Ampomah stressed the urgency of the situation.
He noted that, the primary causes of kidney failure are uncontrolled diabetes and hypertension.
Currently, Korle Bu has about 300 kidney patients on dialysis, with only 10 dialysis machines available.
Dr. Ampomah acknowledged the financial burden on patients.
“Most of the patients on dialysis are unable to afford the charges,” he noted, adding that some kidney cases are managed through dietary changes.
He also expressed concern about the impact of discontinuing dialysis services.
“If we decide to stop the dialysis, people will die, but we don’t want to see that,” he stated.
Despite the challenges, Dr. Ampomah urged the public to be understanding of the hospital’s efforts.
“Korle Bu is doing a lot of hard work, so pardon us for a few blunders. The doctors are passionate about the patients, so it’s not good to always lash at them,” he added.
Dr. Ampomah apologized to the patients affected by the temporary shutdown, adding that the hospital never intended to put lives at risk.
“We apologize to the patients; it’s not that we wanted them to die,” he concluded.
The closure, which occurred unexpectedly, left many patients uncertain about their ongoing treatment.
Hospital officials cited routine maintenance as the reason for the closure.
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