The Forum for Kidney Patients Association Ghana has called for the establishment of a new renal centre in either Assin Fosu or Dunkwa-on-Offin to ease pressure on the dialysis centre at the Cape Coast Teaching Hospital (CCTH) and reduce the distance patients travel for treatment.
According to the Forum, the CCTH dialysis centre currently serves patients from the Central and Western Regions, as well as others from parts of the Ashanti and Eastern Regions.
For some patients, the long distances involved in travelling to Cape Coast for regular dialysis have become a major financial burden.
One of the patients, Gifty Tetteh, a subsistence farmer who has been undergoing dialysis since 2006, told Citi News that she travels from Akim Oda to Cape Coast twice a week for treatment.
“I always journey from Akim Oda to Cape Coast. It’s a long journey so I usually set off at 4am to reach here by 9. It’s a long journey but we have no such center in Akim Oda. We really need the government’s support. I come for sessions two days every week- Tuesdays and Fridays. I spend GHS 600.00 on transport every week,” she told Citi News.
The increasing number of kidney patients and the limited number of dialysis machines at CCTH have also resulted in the rationing of treatment sessions.
Patients now receive two three-hour dialysis sessions each week, instead of three sessions lasting at least four hours each.
Speaking to Citi News, Central Regional President of the Forum and kidney health advocate, Thomas Cann, appealed for additional dialysis machines to support patients receiving treatment at CCTH.
He also called for the establishment of a new renal centre in either Assin Fosu or Dunkwa-on-Offin to bring dialysis services closer to patients in surrounding communities.
“We record new cases everyday and unfortunately the machines are not enough, the staff too. The machines too are old,” he added.
