Thirty-five (35) private health facilities accredited with the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) will be part of the public health facilities that will run the free dialysis treatment for renal patients, according to the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA).
Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Authority, Dr. Aboagye Dacosta, disclosed this in an interview on ‘As it is in Ghana’s a show on Rainbow Radio 9.2FM, UK.
The medical professional stated that the free dialysis treatment for renal patients will start on December 1, 2024, as announced by Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia.
He told host Sir Richie that not only the public health facilities will provide the services, but 35 private health facilities with credentials and accreditation from the NHIS will be part of it.
He maintained that the exercise is a political agenda but a measure to provide relief to renal patients who are unable to pay for the cost of treatment.
‘’We have identified 35 private health facilities that will be included in the free dialysis treatment initiative. They would be added to help with the successful implementation of the initiative. They are already accredited by the authority.’’
Meanwhile, he has also revealed that based on the test scenario and data available to authorities, the government will require between Ghc 24 million and Ghc 57 million per year to successfully roll out the free dialysis initiative, which is scheduled to begin on December 1, 2024.
“When undergoing dialysis, you must pay a fee of GHC 490. If you multiply that by 400 and the amount of treatment the patients require each month, they will need eight sessions, which will cost GHC 1.5 million.
Multiplying that by 12 months yields GHC 18. something million, which was rounded up to GHC 20 million. That’s the first category. This means that we will need at least GHC 20 million per year. In the second scenario, we doubled the patients. So, if you begin free dialysis and the number doubles (800), you will require GHC 3.2 million per month and GHC 39.6 million, rounded up to GHC 40 million per year.
That is when the numbers reach 800. We then tested the third scenario and discovered that if you triple the number, you will get 1,200 patients at GHC 4.7 million per month and GHC 56.7 million per year, rounded up to GHC 57 million. So it shows that if you want to roll out free dialysis for every Ghanaian, you’ll need at least GHC 20 million to GHC 57 million per year.”
By: Raunbowradioonline.com/Ghana
