Only GH¢4m was allocated to free dialysis programme – Akandoh

The Minister of Health, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, has criticised the previous administration for allocating only GH¢4 million to Ghana’s free dialysis programme, describing the amount as woefully inadequate to cater to patients across the country.

Speaking to the Parliamentary Press Corps on Thursday, March 13, the Health Minister disclosed that out of the GH¢4 million allocation, only GH¢2 million came directly from government coffers, while the remaining GH¢2 million was sourced from corporate social responsibility initiatives.

Akandoh, who previously served as the Ranking Member on the Health Committee of Parliament, expressed deep concerns over Ghana’s lack of a sustainable funding mechanism for dialysis treatment.

He stated that GH¢4 million is far from sufficient to finance dialysis treatment across the country, considering the high cost of dialysis sessions, medical consumables, and patient care.

“I was a ranking member on the Health Committee of Parliament and there were no sustainable sources of funding for the dialysis. It never happened. We even suggested to make provision for dialysis and they allocated GH¢2 million. And they had to go and take an additional GH¢2 million from corporate social responsibility and I can tell you, GH¢4 million cannot take care of dialysis in the whole country.

“So there needs to be a sustainable and a reliable source of funding. Look, if we decide to put all manner of diseases on the National Health Insurance Scheme, it will collapse. You have no idea about how it costs to treat heart disease or chronic disease and surgeries.”