Free Dialysis Treatment at Last!… For Children Under 18 and Ages Above 60
By: Isaac Boamah-Darko
The Akufo-Addo/Bawumia-led government through the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) is offering free dialysis sessions for Children under 18 and Adults above 60 years.
This follows Parliament’s approval of an amount of Two Million Ghana Cedis (GH¢2,000,000.00) in the NHIA’s 2024 Allocation Formula to support needy and vulnerable patients seeking dialysis treatment.
In a statement issued and signed by the Acting Chief Executive Officer of the NHIA, Dr Da-Costa Aboagye, he said the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) through administrative arrangements has allocated an additional Two Million, four hundred thousand Ghana Cedis (GH¢2,400,000.00), under the Corporate Social Responsibility approved budget of the scheme to support this initiative.
He explained that the announcement is a significant enhancement to its health benefits coverage to include dialysis patients for a period of 6 months as follows: Vulnerable groups (patients aged below 18 and above 60) will receive all eight (8) free dialysis sessions per month under the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) from June to December 2024.
He explained that the cost of dialysis for these categories upon verification of the actual patients on the dialysis is projected to be GH¢329,952 per month and by the end of December 2024, the cumulative cost is estimated to be approximately GH¢2.3 million.
According to him, Patients from Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH), Cape Coast Teaching Hospital (CCTH), Efia Nkwanta Regional Hospital (ENRH), Ho Teaching Hospital (HTH) and Tamale Teaching Hospital (TTH) except Korle Bu will receive two (2) dialysis sessions per month at GH¢982.00, that is, GH¢491 per session.
He added that the cost of dialysis for this treatment category is projected to be GH¢144,354 per month and by the end of December 2024, the cumulative cost is estimated to be approximately GH¢1.01 million.
Korle Bu Patients Benefit Subsidy
He further explained that Patients at Korle Bu Teaching Hospital (KBTH) will receive a subsidy for two (2) dialysis sessions per month at GHS491.00, which is 50% of the cost per session (that is, GH¢245.50) due to a philanthropic gesture of GHS380.00 being offered to such patients as indicated on table 3 to address equity across all facilities.
“The cost of dialysis for this treatment category at KBTH is projected to be GH¢147,300 per month and by the end of December 2024, the cumulative cost is estimated to be approximately GH¢1.03 million” he said.
“This means a total of approximately GH¢4.4 million is being invested to support this initiative, adding the Government is committed to finding sustainable interventions to dealing with renal diseases and other illnesses not holistically covered under the NHISc manner, and will soon unveil a sustainable plan,” he said in the statement.