Conversations of members of the Renal Patients Association have changed from “when is your next dialysis date?” to “who will be the next to die?” as the association loses another member.
According to a member of the association, Gifty Larbi, they constantly live in fear since they lose people every day and their health conditions continue to worsen as a result of the closure of the renal dialysis unit.
Recounting her ordeal to JoyNews, she said “we see death every day, we pay be on the machine and your heart can fail you, so you can die. It comes with heart and diabetes. A lot of young guys died from May till date. The most painful was Charles – he was a very young and vibrant guy,” she bemoaned.
She continued “even if we ask between Charles and I who will die, everyone will point me because he was young.”
The Association said the recent death was a father of nine and a resident of Korle Gonno, Kenneth Quaye.
He is one of the nineteen persons who died within six months after the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital closed the doors of its renal dialysis unit to outpatients.
The deceased’s wife, Mariam Bangura, says financial difficulties forced her husband to go for his weekly dialysis treatment once instead of thrice at a private facility.
She explained that her husband’s inability to meet the weekly appointment contributed to his untimely death.
Meanwhile, the Minister of State at the Finance Ministry, Mohammed Amin Adam says it is unacceptable for Ghanaians with kidney failure to go through what they are experiencing.
He explained the government would find a way to deal with the situation before next week.
The renal dialysis unit of the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital remains closed with over a GHs4 million debt. The government’s promise of settling the debt has not been fulfilled.
