Patients on dialysis are to undergo sessions free of charge for the next six months under the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) Free Dialysis Program effective June 1, 2024.
The initiative, which will cost government GHC4.4 million according to the National Health Insurance Authority, seeks to bring some relief to the patients.
A statement from the Authority explained that patients under the age of 18 and those above 60 years will receive all eight (8) free dialysis sessions per month under the National Health Insurance Scheme across all the teaching hospitals in the country.
The scheme will also pay for two sessions of dialysis per month for those within the age range of 18 to 59 at the following facilities Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital ( KATH), Cape Coast Teaching Hospital ( CCTH), Efia Nkwanta Regional Hospital (ENRH), Ho Teaching Hospital (HTH) and Tamale Teaching Hospital (TTH).
Patients who go to the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital (KBTH) for dialysis will however get a 50 percent off the cost of 2 sessions every month.
He further called on the government to do more to support them.
He said “each person is doing eight sessions a month and they taking two sessions, the six is left with us so multiply the 6x 419 and you can see it’s still very high. Nobody can sustain it.”
In all, 531 patients will be benefiting from the initiative.
