Bolgatanga Hospital rallies support for dialysis centre
A campaign to raise funds to set up a state-of-the-art dialysis centre at the Bolgatanga Regional Hospital has been launched.
Advertisement
This follows the unavailability of a centre at the hospital to cater for patients diagnosed with kidney failure conditions, a development which has led to the death of many kidney patients in the Upper East Region.
Since its establishment many years in 1946, the hospital, which receives cases from North-East Region, Togo and Burkina Faso, cannot boast of a dialysis unit compelling medical officers to refer kidney patients to the Tamale Teaching Hospital (TTH) for treatment.
Fifteen patients out of 30 with various kidney conditions diagnosed at the hospital passed away in 2022 due to their inability to travel every week to Tamale and afford treatment at the TTH.
Initiators
Sensing danger, a Physician Specialist at the hospital, Dr Emmanuel Akatibo, together with a Critical Care Nurse, Patrick Ayamga Ayariga, early this year began a campaign to rally everyone on board towards the establishment of a dialysis centre at the hospital.
Considering the exigency of the centre, the management of the hospital, which had nurtured the idea, thought it wise to launch the fund to raise an initial amount of GH₵813,900 to set up the centre to put an end to patients travelling to TTH for treatment.
Also, to ensure transparency and prudent use of the fund, a five-member committee --made up of a representative each from the Regional Coordinating Council (RCC), Regional House of Chiefs and Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) and two staff of the hospital-- will be set up to oversee the running of the fund.
Two options
At the launch at the forecourt of the hospital last Thursday, the Medical Director of the hospital, Dr Aiden Saanwie, said patients with various kidney conditions had two options, either to go for a transplant or opt for dialysis.
He said despite kidney transplant being offered in the country, it was very expensive and also not readily available, saying “although, dialysis treatment is equally expensive, it is far better than undergoing transplant”.
He said, “Readily, it can become necessary to set up a dialysis centre to offer such a service in the hospital to bring huge relief to kidney patients who always travelled to TTH for treatment and its attendant consequences”.
“If we are able to establish the centre and bring the service closer to the patients in the region, it will obviously reduce the huge cost and other expenses incurred by patients for travelling out of the region to receive treatment,” Dr Saanwie said.
Long term
Dr Saanwie said in the long term, it was expected that the dialysis centre would operate as a semi-autonomous centre akin to the National Cardiothoracic Centre at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital (KBTH) with its own governance structure.
He stressed “this will enable them to subsidise the cost of treatment for patients who cannot afford the cost of the dialysis treatment” and added that “when implemented, it will be a huge sigh of relief to patients”.
“This fundraising campaign is an important one and if we all put our shoulders to the wheel we can set up the centre for our benefit,” he said, noting “I wish to commend Dr Akatibo and Mr Ayamga for coming together to champion the setting up of the centre.
Opportunity
The Upper East Regional Minister, Stephen Yakubu, said the move was an opportunity for all stakeholders to come together and ensure that the centre was set up to provide dialysis services to patients in the region.
He stated that it was unacceptable that the hospital did not have such an important centre although the renal condition was prevalent in the region compelling patients to travel to Tamale to receive treatment.
On behalf of the RCC and the 15 Municipal and District Assemblies (MDAs), he pledged an amount of GH₵ 80,000 to support the fund.
Sharing his ordeal, a kidney patient, Nathan Nsobilla Abagna, underscored the need for the centre and urged the public to contribute to its establishment so that he together with the other patients could live a little longer.
Lagging
The Paramount Chief for Talensi Traditional Area, Tong-Raan Kugblisong Nanlebegtang, who chaired the event, admitted that the region was lagging in many things and that indigenes must come together to support the region’s progress.
He equally commended all those who have contributed to the fund since the setting up of the centre was non-negotiable as it would save lives and further promised to follow up on a mining company which pledged to fully fund the centre.
Writer’s email: [email protected]