Free dialysis for kidney patients under 18 and over 60 not sustainable – Akandoh

Ranking Member of Parliament’s Health Committee, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, has expressed skepticism about the sustainability of the National Health Insurance Authority’s (NHIA) recent initiative to provide free dialysis sessions for certain age groups.

From Saturday, June 1, through December 2024, the NHIA will offer eight free dialysis sessions per month to kidney patients under 18 and over 60 years old.

Additionally, patients aged 19 to 59 will receive two free sessions per month.

Despite the initiative's positive reception, Mr. Akandoh believes the government should focus on subsidising dialysis fees rather than providing free sessions.

Speaking to the media, Mr. Akandoh stressed the need for a sustainable approach to funding dialysis treatment in Ghana.

“The patients deserve better, and the government can come in [to help]. If you look at the payment or the purchase of vaccines, sometimes the National Health Insurance pays something and the government will also come in to pay counterpart funding, so this is not sustainable,” Mr. Akandoh stated.

Highlighting the temporary nature of the initiative, he added, “It is only for six months, and it is so because we are in the election period. All this while, we have not heard the vice president speak about this. It is political because after December, there is no plan, so you go back to paying what you used to pay. And in actual fact, it has increased from GHS380 to GHS491.”