The Director of the Dialysis Center at the Upper East Regional Hospital, Dr. Emmanuel Akatibo, has raised alarms about a looming crisis that could force the facility to shut down.
According to Dr. Akatibo, the center is running out of critical consumables due to insufficient funding and unpaid arrears owed by the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA).
Speaking to the media, Dr. Akatibo explained that the center, which began operations in mid-2024, has struggled to sustain its services.
The situation has been exacerbated by the government’s failure to settle outstanding payments for dialysis treatments, which were promised to be covered under the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS).
“This is an issue I thought was not a big deal, but it requires urgent attention. When we started the center last year, the government announced that dialysis treatment would be included in the NHIS. However, there was no clear plan on how the financing would work. Management pushed for clarity but did not get, and now we’re running out of consumables,” Dr. Akatibo stated.
In an effort to sustain operations, the center briefly considered charging patients for services. This decision drew public attention after former Upper East Regional Minister Tangoba Abayage alleged on Facebook that the center was charging patients, contrary to government promises of free dialysis treatment.
Dr. Akatibo clarified the issue, saying, “We thought of asking patients to pay to avoid shutting the center down, but after two days, management decided to continue offering free dialysis as proposed by the government.”
Despite these efforts, the center’s survival remains in jeopardy. Without immediate government intervention and funding, Dr. Akatibo warned that the facility may soon have no choice but to cease operations.
A shutdown would leave many without access to essential treatment, potentially leading to devastating consequences for those in need of life-saving care.
Source: A1Radioonline.com|101.1Mhz|Moses Apiah|Bolgatanga