Upper East Region: “We lost 15 patients in 2022 due to a lack of a Haemodialysis center” -Dr. Emmanuel Akatibo calls for support

Physician specialist at the Upper East regional hospital, Dr Emmanuel Akatibo has in a Facebook post revealed the bad stage of kidney patients in the region due to lack of a Haemodialysis center in the facility.

According to him, the facility recorded 30 kidney failure cases that needed dialysis to allow time for the kidney to recover since he assumed work in March 2022.

My name is Emmanuel Akatibo a Physician Specialist at the Bolgatanga Regional Hospital.
This is the story of the faith of patients who suffer from kidney failure needing renal replacement therapy in the form of hemodialysis in the region.

Unfortunately, this service is not available in the regional hospital which serves as the main referral center for the whole of Upper East, parts of North East, Burkina Faso, and Togo.

Out of those who had end-stage kidney failure and needed long-term hemodialysis, only a few could afford to travel to Tamale the nearest center for dialysis. This didn't come easy for them at all, so some dropped along the way because they couldn't keep up.

Aside from the cost of the dialysis and medications which is expensive, these patients had to travel 2-to-3 times a week with a caregiver to Tamale for the dialysis, this puts an extra burden on their families because some just had to stop working to be able to travel almost every other day for dialysis.

Due to the inconveniences and extra financial burden on them, some couldn't maintain it and died along the way, those who could, had to reduce the recommended 3 times a week dialysis to either once a week or once every two weeks. This worsen most of their condition and affected their quality of life.

Others had to entirely relocate with their family to Tamale, Kumasi, and Accra to have easy access to dialysis centers.

15 out of those who were visiting Tamale for regular dialysis for the year 2022 died because they couldn't afford to travel almost every other day for dialysis.

He added that, those who developed Acute kidney injury(AKI) which has the potential to reverse to normal and needed dialysis support for the kidneys to recover died because they couldn't afford to travel to Tamale for such service. Most of these patients were young adults in their prime age, breadwinners of their families who probably just needed 2-to-4 dialysis sessions to recover from the AKI but we just had to watch on helplessly.

He, therefore, called on sons and daughters of the land, philanthropists, cooperate bodies, NGOs and the general public to come to their age as he believes the establishment of a haemodialysis center will help save more lives.