Seventeen dialysis machines donated through Ghana Medical Help have arrived at the Port of Tema, marking a major expansion of kidney care capacity across Ghana’s Upper East and Upper West regions, where patients with renal failure have historically faced life-threatening barriers to treatment.
Dr. Dominic Akaateba, co-founder of Ghana Medical Help and a physician specialist at the Upper West Regional Hospital, confirmed the arrival of the shipment, which he described as a milestone for a region where access to dialysis has been severely limited.
“As we speak, a container full of 17 dialysis machines have arrived in the Port of Tema,” Dr. Akaateba said. “This has all been covered by our donors.”
The machines will be distributed to create new dialysis centers in communities that currently lack the service. In the Upper East Region, where the regional hospital already operates approximately 13 machines, the new equipment will establish an additional center at the War Memorial Hospital in Navrongo and one in Sandema. In the Upper West Region, a new center will be set up at Nandom Hospital, supplementing the existing facility at the regional hospital in Wa.
“From a two, as we currently have, we’re expanding to a five [treatment centres] with these 17 machines,” Dr. Akaateba said, referring to the total number of dialysis centers in the two regions combined. The expanded network will offer two dialysis sessions per week at each center at no cost to patients.
“By virtue of the fact that I come from Nandom, it should not make me lose my life because of renal impairment,” Dr. Akaateba said, describing the geographic equity the expansion aims to create.
As of the time of the interview, the machines remained in customs at Tema. Akaateba said the organization was seeking a duty exemption from authorities to reduce the final cost of clearing the container before transporting the machines north. Once customs processes are complete, a volunteer with the dialysis project was expected to conduct site assessments at the identified hospitals to prepare for installation.
Beyond treatment infrastructure, Dr. Akaateba said Ghana Medical Help is also working to establish multidisciplinary kidney care teams at each center. These teams would focus on early detection and prevention of kidney disease, reducing the number of patients who progress to the point of requiring dialysis.
“We are looking at forming teams that can go in to educate people on how to prevent the kidney diseases and how to catch it early so that you will not need dialysis,” Akaateba said. “We don’t even want you to get there. But those who are already there, we shouldn’t lose you because you need dialysis.”
A1 Radio | 101.1 MHz | Mark Kwasi Ahumah Smith | Bolgatanga
