The Finance Ministry has approved GH4 million to help clear the outstanding debt of the renal unit of the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital.
The Minister of Health, Mr. Kweku Agyeman Manu, disclosed that the Finance Minister has approved the payment of GHC 4,000,000.00 owed by the Renal Dialysis Unit (RDU) of the Korlebu Teaching Hospital to its partner.
According to the Minister, the KBTH, in consultation with the Ministry of Health, is engaging FMC for a review of the current contract for more flexible payment options and to ensure delivery of the outstanding 45 dialysis machines and auxiliary equipment to boost the services rendered at the RDU.
He told Parliament on Thursday that the Ministry of Health has engaged the Ministry of Finance and secured the approval of GH4 million to pay the unit’s debt.
“The Ministry of Health has since requested the Ministry of Finance to settle the total indebtedness of GH¢4 million, and the good news is that the Minister of Finance has just approved the disbursement of this GH¢4 million to support our patients in Korle-Bu,” Manu said.
He further stated that the GHC 380 currently paid by patients to the RDU for dialysis service is insufficient to enable the RDU to generate enough revenue to meet its financial obligations to its partner, Fresenius Medical Care of South Africa Ltd., which provides dialysis machines and medical consumables to the Korlebu Teaching Hospital (KBTH).
The minister made this known today when he briefed Parliament on the situation at the RDU.
Commenting on the Minister’s statement, the MP for Asawase Muntaka Mubarak called for measures to be taken by the government to form a foundation to raise funds in support of dialysis care in the country.
The Minister for Environment, Science, Technology, and Innovation, Dr. Kweku Afriyie, said the capping of the National Health Insurance Scheme, which supports healthcare, is morally wrong.
In a related development, the President of the Renal Patients Association, Mr. Kojo Ahenkorah, and a member of the association, Mr. Thomas Cann, have thanked the government for paying the amount owed by the RDU to its partner.
They also urged the government to procure more dialysis machines for the RDU.
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana
