play videoGhanaWeb's Etsey Atisu interacting with one of the patients on dialysis
The Health Facilities Regulatory Agency (HeFRA) has indicated that Ghana currently boasts of only 14 registered dialysis centres, with seven being publicly owned and the remaining seven being privately operated.
According to a report by Asaaseradio.com, these registered facilities include Riverwoods Medical Equipment and Dialysis Company, Accra Kidney Clinic Limited, Sahel Health Ghana Limited, Kidney Specialist Center LTD,
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The others include the Eastern Regional Hospital, Effia Nkwanta Regional Hospital, Central Dialysis, Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, Tamale Teaching Hospital, Maritime Hospital Ghana Limited, First Dialysis, Sage Medic Center, and Peace & Love Hospitals.
Among these facilities, eight are situated in the Greater Accra Region, three in the Ashanti Region, and one each in the Northern, Eastern, and Western Regions.
Christabel Nuhoho, Head of Public Relations at HeFRA, in the report indicated that the facilities are those officially licensed by HeFRA to offer dialysis services.
“We have some facilities that are registered, but yet to be licensed. It is also possible some are not known to us at all,” she added.
Ghana currently has an estimated 15,400 patients in need of dialysis treatment, but only about 1,195 individuals, equivalent to 7.8% of the estimated total, are receiving this life-saving therapy.
This situation is combined by the limited number of Nephrologists in the country, with only 10 specialists in this field, according to the research platform Medpages online. Nephrologists are medical professionals who specialize in diagnosing and treating kidney-related conditions.
Nuhoho explained that for a facility to acquire a license to operate dialysis services, it was expected to at least meet the minimum requirement of two dialysis machines, two dialysis beds, a water treatment plant, a BP apparatus per machine, and an emergency trolley with emergency drugs.
Dialysis is a lifesaving medical treatment for patients whose kidneys are unable to effectively remove excess fluid and waste from the bloodstream. Typically, patients require three dialysis sessions per week to maintain a normal quality of life.
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