A patient undergoing a dialysis session.
Dialysis Service Foundation (DSF), a non-profit organization that intends to support kidney patients to seek treatment, has been launched.
DSF, established by well-meaning Ghanaians who are concerned about the high cost of managing the disease, has announced plans to ensure that people with kidney problems do not die because of the lack of money for treatment.
Speaking at the launch, Dela Agbo, a board member of the Foundation, said there are only 22 Dialysis Treatment Centers in Ghana although the country records an average of 12,000 kidney failure cases every year.
“In addition, the cost of a session of dialysis is about GH¢250, which culminates into over GH¢3000 monthly, and for people with kidney failure, this was going to be a cost to bear for a lifetime, he added.
Appeal
Mr. Agbo appealed to the public to support the Dialysis Services Foundation to help raise GH¢2.5 million to provide the basic treatment required to help some patients to survive.
“The Foundation is doing this so that these patients will not be deprived of treatment due to financial difficulties,” he added.
Prosper Bani, former Chief of Staff and Minister of Interior under the erstwhile NDC administration, who chaired the occasion, shared the experience he had with close friends and relatives that battled with kidney diseases.
Mr. Bani, who doubles as board chairman of the Foundation, said the patients and their families should not be left to bear the cost involved in the treatment.
He said although there is a better alternative of kidney transplant, patients in the country currently have to travel oversees to have it done.
He reiterated the commitment of the Foundation to providing quality but low cost of treatment to patients who are unable to afford treatment.
“Dialysis Services Foundation, with the support of donors and sponsors, will set up a few free centers to care for patients across the country,” he said.
Better Alternative
Rector of Ghana Physicians and Surgeons, Prof. Plange Rhule, called on the Foundation to look at the kidney transplant, which is a more permanent treatment since dialysis is temporary.
“A kidney transplant is a more permanent treatment option, although the patient has to continuously live on medication to ensure the body functions with the new organ. This is the kind of service we need to develop in Ghana for people to benefit,” he added.
Explaining further, Mr Rhule disclosed that people with hypertension and diabetes are likely to suffer from the disease.
By Jamila Akweley Okertchiri