Tema-Ghana, March 12, CDA Consult – On the average about two chronic kidney diseases are diagnosed daily at the International Maritime Hospital (IMaH) Ms Nancy Abedi a Dialysis Nurse has revealed and stressed that the cases of kidney disease in Ghana is increasing every day.
IMaH currently has about 73 patients on dialysis who undergo over 500 sessions in a month at the facility Ms Abedi stated at the weekly “Your Health! Our Concern! A Ghana News Agency Tema Regional Office initiative aimed at promoting communication on health-related and setting the medium for the propagation of health information to influence personal health choices by improving health literacy.
“Your Health! Our Concern! is a public health advocacy platform initiated by the Ghana News Agency Tema Regional Office to explore the parameters of the four approaches to health communication: informative, educating, persuasive, and prompting.
She said currently a session of dialysis costs between GHs500.00 and GHC600.00, and a patient needed at least three dialyses in a week to flush out the toxins and extra water from their system since their kidneys were not functioning well to do so on their own.
Speaking on the topic: “Kidney disease,” to mark World Kidney Day which is celebrated annually on every second Thursday of March to promote awareness on kidney diseases, she stressed that it is estimated that one out of every ten persons might have some kidney disease that they might not be aware of.
Ms Abedi dismissed the myth that kidney disease is a sickness for the rich, “I have patients in the middle class, unemployed, with some as young as 23 years, it has no class preference – the poor, the rich all are prone to it.
“The only difference in status is that the rich have money or sources of regular funds to under the sessions, while the poor or less privileged people struggle to get funds for their sessions”.
Touching on the number of dialysis machines available for the management of the diseases, she said most regions do not have dialysis centres to cater for patients making some of them to travel long distances to access care.
She stated for instance that it was just recently that the Volta Region had one centre, while the Eastern Region and others do not have any at all.
According to her, the Tema area currently has five centres which were all privately owned, adding that due to the cost involved in running the machine which operates on electricity, and water treatment plants makes dialysis costs very expensive.
The dialysis nurse appealed to the government, and health institutions to consider providing at least one dialysis centre in every region to provide the needed care for patients in the area.
Ms Abedi added that there was also the need for subsidies to make it affordable to the vulnerable with the disease.
Mr Francis Ameyibor, Ghana News Agency Tema Regional Manager appealed to corporate institutions, and philanthropists to consider adopting district hospitals and support to set up dialysis centres.
“Helping to improve the health delivery system when one has the capacity is a noble cause as you may not know when you will be in need, and the critical issue is that saving a life is a godly obligation to all mankind,” Mr Ameyibor stated.
