KATH makes fresh appeal for more dialysis machines

The management of the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) has renewed its call for more dialysis machines, as a shortage is severely affecting the hospital’s service delivery.

Officials say the only government hospital in the Ashanti Region with a dialysis centre is struggling to meet the growing demand for dialysis treatment. This appeal comes shortly after the Ministry of Health acquired 30 additional dialysis machines for the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital.

The public relations officer at KATH Kwame Frimpong revealed that, of the seven dialysis machines currently available at the hospital, three were purchased using internally generated funds, a situation he said, has placed a significant strain on the hospital’s finances.

He urged the government to expedite its efforts to provide additional machines to alleviate the pressure on the hospital’s resources.

“We do not have enough. We are the only government institution in this part of the country that has a dialysis centre and there is quite a bit of pressure on what we have. Through our own internally generated funds we’ve bought three new ones, and we’ve repaired two old ones. We’ve also reached out to a number of entities including the Ghana Airport Company Limited which has promised us two,” Frimpong said.

“But there is a limit to which we can commit our internally generated funds to this venture because there are other competing needs. The most sustainable of dealing with the problem is to get the Ministry to supply us with the required numbers so that we can give quality service to the public”, he added.

Urgent upgrading

There have been calls to upgrade the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, the nation’s second biggest referral centre in recent times.

In June this year, doctors at the oncology unit stopped working demanding the repair of the Linear Accelerator System (LINAC) machine, which has been out of service since October 2023, making cancer treatment difficult.

The officers, however, called off their three-day-old strike after receiving promises that their demands would be met.

The Asantehene Otumfuo Osei Tutu II had expressed deep concern over the persistent lack of essential medical equipment at KATH, noting that the cardio unit also faces severe shortages.

“We struggle with basic equipment. Dialysis machines are hard to come by here. They tell me KATH lacks some life-saving equipment. If I have an emergency and I am taken there, they may not be able to treat me. Where do they take me then? By the time I am taken to Accra, something bad would have happened,” the king was quoted by myjoyonline.com as saying.

The hospital’s management echoed this sentiment during the Health Minister’s visit, highlighting the high costs incurred in repairing the LINAC machine.

Health Minister, Dr Bernard Okoe Boye, during a recent inspection of the facility, assured that the government would speed up efforts to upgrade the hospital.

“I want to assure you that we will work quickly to help with the upgrades. Hospitals like this, because of the numbers, sometimes even when you get equipment or tools, within a short time you need replacements and others,” he said.

Reporting By Jonathan Ofori and Belinda Baaba Baidoo in Kumasi

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