Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital Turning Renal Patients Away Due to Insufficient Dialysis Equipment
- CEO of KATH says the hospital has no choice than to turn away renal patients due to insufficient dialysis machines
- Prof Otchere Addai-Mensah said the decision has been the hardest he has had to take since leading the hospital
- He complained of congestion in the hospital's wards as well on a visit from the Finance Minister-designate, Dr Mohammed Amin Adam
The Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital is turning away some patients in need of dialysis care to private facilities because of insufficient equipment for the procedure.
The hospital has only two machines; one is fully functional and the other is partially working.
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Chief Executive Officer of the hospital, Prof Otchere Addai-Mensah says the decision to limit dialysis to patients of the hospital is the hardest taken under his tenure.
He spoke at a meeting with the Finance Minister who was on a tour of the mother and baby unit being constructed at the hospital.
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“We have one and a half dialysis machines and this is because one is working at full capacity and the other is working at fault. So what it means is that we’re no longer able to receive patients from outside for dialysis. The dialysis in this hospital is restricted to patients who are within the hospital,” he said.
He said while the decision to turn patients away was a tough one to make, it was a necessary decision explaining that “it had to be made because we do not have the sufficient dialysis machines.”
“Mr Minister the truth is that for each dialysis session it takes four hours. So what it means is that if you have two dialysis machines in-house and you have five patients who need dialysis what it means is that if God doesn’t intervene then by the time it gets to the 5th person he probably would have dropped off,” he said.
Komfo Anokye has run out of space
Meanwhile, insufficient dialysis equipment may be the least of the hospital’s worries.
Prof Addai-Mensah further revealed that the hospital has run out of space.
He stated that the hospital’s space has been maxed out leading to a huge congestion situation in the hospital.
“Indeed if Komfo Anokye decides to close off the emergency centre for 24 hours because it is full, and as we speak the place which is meant for 12 we presently have over 42 patients.
Yellow is meant for 18, we have about 27 patients, Red is meant for 7 we have about 10 patients, and so if we decide that we are no longer receiving emergencies because the place is full, what it means is that we’re practically asking patients who come and are turned away to go and die.”
The Finance Minister-designate, Dr Mohammed Amin Adam said President Akufo-Addo was concerned about the constrained infrastructure.
He said the President has given him and several other ministers the directive to find solutions to outstanding infrastructure challenges plaguing the country hence his visit to the facility.
“Because of the concern of our president and the directive for us to find and address these outstanding issues you have seen us moving quickly.
And this visit by me demonstrates that commitment to addressing these challenges so we can bring relief to the people of Kumasi, Ashanti region,” he said.
Korle Bu shuts down Renal Unit
In Accra the situation is no different.
YEN.com.gh had reported that the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital has said it is imperative to increase the cost of dialysis treatment because the unit may cease to exist due to operational and other costs.
PRO of the hospital Mustapha Salifu has said the government used to subsidise some of the cost for the treatment but not anymore.
He also disclosed that high port charges and other taxes threaten the continuous existence of the dialysis unit.
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Source: YEN.com.gh
