Cost Of Dialysis In Ghaha: Health Ministry Warns Korle Bu New 100% Increase In Charges Are Illegal

• The health ministry has directed the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital to revert to the old charges for dialysis treatment at the facility
• The ministry says a recent 100% increase that triggered public furore was illegal because it was without parliamentary approval
• The public health facility increased the cost of the life-saving treatment from GH¢380 to GH¢765 last week

The management of the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital has been warned against implementing a proposed 100% increase in the cost of dialysis treatment at the facility.

The health ministry said the increase from GH¢380 to GH¢765 was illegal and has asked Ghana's biggest public hospital to revert to the old fee.

Public Relations Officer of the health ministry Isaac Offei Baah told Citi News that the astronomical upward review in the cost of dialysis treatment at the hospital was done without approval.

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Truck carrying 260 bags of shea nuts burns down after fire tender breaks down metres to blaze

“The processes are that [the hospital] comes up with a proposal and discusses it at their management level and if they agree, they put it forward to the Ministry of Health," he explained.

He said after the ministry agrees to the terms and charges of the upward review, it will be forwarded to Parliament for consideration and approval.

Then after Parliament approves it, the new fees can be implemented.

"The ministry has summoned the management of Korle-Bu and ordered that the new charges should not be charged patients," Baah said.

Korle Bu stirs controversy over new cost of dialysis treatment

The Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital stirred massive controversy after increasing the cost of renal dialysis from by a little over 100%.

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Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital CEO says increase in cost of kidney dialysis has not been implemented

Ghanaians slammed the move as insensitive, although the hospital blamed high port charges and the withdrawal of government subsidy for the move.

The hospital's management later claimed the notice about the price hike was only a proposal.

Dialysis treatment for people with kidney failure helps to remove waste products and excess fluid from the blood.

Because the treatment of regular for most patients, it remains very costly for many people who need it to survive.

Fire tender breaks down a few metres to blaze

Meanwhile, YEN.com.gh has reported in a separate story that huge tonnes of shea nut got destroyed in a blazing fire recently because a fire tender that was deployed to save the day broke down not far from the scene of the incident.

The municipal fire officer blamed the incident on the deplorable road network and a lack of routine maintenance of the fire tender.

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Korle Bu justifies 100% increase of cost of dialysis, blames high taxes, removal of subsidies

The total cost of the shea nut destroyed in the fire is not known but 260 bags of shea nut is estimated to cost thousands of Ghana cedis.

Source: YEN.com.gh