By Peter Agengre
Kidney patients in the Upper East Region have to choose between traveling to Tamale Teaching Hospital for treatment or risk losing their lives. This is because no dialysis services are offered at the Regional Hospital in Bolgatanga. Stakeholders including the media have therefore set in motion a campaign to have a dialysis center established in the Region.
Even though the Regional Hospital in Bolgatanga is the major referral health facility serving the people of the area and some districts in the North East Region and parts of Burkina Faso, It remains the only regional referral facility without a dialysis center. Of the number of people who had kidney-related conditions and needed long-term hemodialysis, only a few could afford to travel to Tamale or WA for dialysis services. In a campaign to get the facility established in the region, a physician specialist at the regional hospital in Bolgatanga, Dr. Emmanuel Akatibo said the dialysis Centre is a necessity in the region.
The Ghana Journalists Association in the region has also joined the campaign. It hopes that the government and individuals can donate towards its establishment.
GBC News visited the Upper East Regional Minister Mr. Stephen Yakubu who also pledged his support to the campaign. Mr. Yakubu was not happy that dialysis services were not available at the referral facility, which resulted in avoidable deaths.
Since March 2022, the Department of Internal Medicine has recorded more than 30 kidney failure cases that needed dialysis to allow time for the kidneys to recover. Hospital authorities, the media and the Regional Coordinating Council are therefore appealing for support from individuals, Charity Organizations, business establishments and government to urgently come to the aid of the hospital in their desire to setup a dialysis Centre. Donations can be made to the following account details:
Account Name: Regional Hospital Pooled Donor Fund
NIB Account Number: 1103040189101, Bolgatanga Branch. The target amount for the project is GHc 813,900.00 or 67,825 US dollars.
