Former Cardiothoracic surgeon at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, Prof. Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng has thrown his weight behind the yet-to-be-approved new cost for dialysis proposed by the hospital.
Ghanaians, particularly patients on dialysis treatment lamented when the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital’s Renal Dialysis Unit on Wednesday, September 27 announced an increase from GH¢380 to GHS¢765.42 per dialysis session.
The Minority Caucus in Parliament described the increase as illegal and outrageous and called on the Hospital to immediately reverse the increase.
But speaking to Citi News, the former Minister for Science, Environment, and Technology, highlighted the financial burden hospitals like Korle Bu face in procuring and maintaining advanced medical equipment required for treatments like dialysis.
He emphasized that these machines come at a high cost and require continuous maintenance and operational expenses.
Additionally, he pointed out that if the government is unable to grant exemptions or reduce taxes on such critical medical equipment, hospitals are left with no choice but to pass on these expenses to patients.
48 hours after Ghanaians became outraged over the new renal dialysis price, the hospital reversed its decision.
The debate surrounding healthcare costs and accessibility in Ghana remains a pressing issue, and Prof. Frimpong Boateng’s support for Korle Bu’s stance on dialysis charges sheds light on the complexities involved in balancing the need for quality healthcare with the financial constraints faced by healthcare institutions.
“The hospital is justified in increasing the cost of dialysis. The inputs are very expensive. If it costs about GH¢800 to GH¢1000 to render a service, you can’t charge GH¢380 or GH¢400. I must admit that most people cannot afford it but somebody has to pay for it. It is not the fault of the hospital, they are not going to make profit out of it,” he said.
