Bawumia Announces Free Kidney Dialysis For All Patients With National Health Insurance From Dec 1

• Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia has announced kidney dialysis will be provided free of charge for all patients under the NHIS
• The vice president announced at Old Tafo that this new policy was scheduled to start on December 1, 2024, via the national programme
• This follows a pilot programme in Ghanaian healthcare that offered kidney dialysis for patients aged 60 and above and under-18s

Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia announced that starting December 1, kidney dialysis would be provided free of charge for all patients under the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS).

This follows a pilot programme that offered free kidney dialysis for patients aged 60 and above and those under 18.

Daily Guide reported that Bawumia made the announcement while campaigning in the Old Tafo constituency on Sunday, November 10.

Bawumia is the Presidential Candidate of the New Patriotic Party (NPP).

“Six months ago, we initiated a pilot programme to include dialysis under the National Health Insurance Scheme. For the past six months, individuals over 60 and those under 18 have been receiving free dialysis."

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However, he said the government was still transitioning from the pilot programme to full coverage.

The government said the cost of dialysis for that group of patients, considered the most vulnerable, is projected to be GH¢329,952 per month.

By December, the cumulative cost is projected to be approximately GH¢2.3 million.

30 new dialysis machines for Korle Bu

The government has been working to improve kidney disease care after a recent controversy.

The Ministry of Health recently acquired 30 additional dialysis machines for the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital's Renal Dialysis Unit.

This is envisioned to improve the hospital's service delivery and cost efficiency.

The new machines, equipped with their consumables, will be deployed to the hospital’s Urology and Nephrology Centre of Excellence and installed for use before the end of 2024.

Parliament admits to dialysis fee mistake

YEN.com.gh reported that Parliament wrongly approved the hike in dialysis fees from GH¢380 to GH¢491.

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It noted that the mistake stemmed from some errors in the document presented by the finance ministry.

Parliament assured Ghanaians that the mistake would be corrected urgently to ease the burden on patients.

Proofread by Bruce Douglas, senior copy editor at YEN.com.gh

Source: YEN.com.gh