Management of Korle-Bu summoned by Health Ministry to discuss new dialysis fee

The Ministry of Health has summoned the management of Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital over the new fee imposed on kidney patients attending dialysis sessions at the Renal Unit. The hospital has faced significant criticism following reports of a dialysis charge revision.

Isaac Ofie, the Head of Public Relations at the Health Ministry, explained that the hospital’s management would be called before the ministry to clarify why the new fee was introduced without obtaining approval from either the Ministry or Parliament.

Ofie stated, “Before you increase [fees], there is a need for proper procedure or caution to be taken, extending the proposal or the proposed price to Parliament for approval thus the fees before you charge,” Ofie said. “But this has not gotten to us yet and even if it has gotten to the ministry, it should be before Parliament and Parliament will have to approve that before it is charged.”

In light of this, the ministry has called for an urgent meeting with the hospital’s management, urging them to withdraw the new price that was introduced hastily.

The hospital’s CEO, Dr. Opoku Ware Ampomah, mentioned that only six individuals were affected by the new charges and assured that the situation would be resolved.

He added, “Fortunately, this was noticed very quickly and so when we checked, it was only six people who had paid this amount but it is going to be offset because these are patients that are on chronic dialysis so it is going to be offset,” Ampomah said. “It has already been internally remedied and we are also looking at what went wrong and how to avoid it next time.”