Category: Medical

Mr Baffour Kojo Ahenkorah, the President of the Renal Patients Association of Ghana, has appealed to the government to immediately save dialysis patients from death. He said if the government says it was trying to do something then it should get to all patients involved and not just a few. Mr Ahenkorah, speaking in an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) on the latest update on the dialysis situation, hinted that he heard that Parliament had approved a new fee to be charged but it is yet to be implemented. 'We are looking at Ghc 491.00 instead of the old fee of Ghc380.00, which is not welcome at all because renal patients will not be able to pay.' The Renal Unit at Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital (KBTH) was shut down in May 2023 for a partial renovation and a lack of consumables only to reopen to patients in October at a higher cost. However, patients and public outcry at the proposed fee increase from Ghc 380 to Ghc 765.42 resulted in the facility's quick closure, although intensive care was being prov ided for emergency cases. This made the management of KBTH revert to the old fee of Ghc380.00. Mr Ahenkorah said if the new fee approval by parliament turns out to be true and implemented even though it was a reduction from the earlier Ghc 765.42, renal patients would not be able to pay because for seven years now First Sky Group had been paying for them. 'It wasn't the patients who were paying the old fee. It was a company called First Sky Group. The company paid for seven years. The man paid for almost 270 people because most of the patients were vulnerable. Even if you must pay Ghc100 a week for the next 10 years, patients will not be able to sustain it because being on dialysis is a lifetime issue. This government knows. We would rather appeal to the government that as we suggested earlier they should put the cost of dialysis onto the National Health Insurance,' he added. He said the 'Association plans to meet the Parliamentary Select Committee on Health when parliament resumes to see if something c ould be done as too many lives were being lost due to the situation.' Mr Ahenkorah also expressed displeasure that parliament had approved some money to the National Health Insurance to look at the needy patients under dialysis. He said; ' Why is it for only needy patients since all of us under dialysis are needy? Can you imagine how I've been on the machine for the past nine years? I don't even have Ghc 5 in my account. And that's not needy?' He questioned. 'We beg them that If they say they are trying to do something about the Health Insurance then they should get all of us involved. Because we are paying Ghc 380.00 at Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, just as the rich,' he stated. He expressed disappointment at the media for letting the 'dialysis situation' die out, adding that more deaths had been recorded in the past few months as patients were unable to pay for their dialysis. Source: Ghana News Agency

The Community Practice Pharmacists Association (CPPA) is engaging with the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) for some 1,000 community pharmacies across the country to provide services under the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) The collaborative effort will align with the NHIA's objectives and contribute to the overarching goal of universal health insurance coverage. Mr Emmanuel Kwaku Ireland, Chairman of the CPPA, said during a virtual meeting with the NHIA that the engagement would aid financial risk protection against the cost of quality basic healthcare for Ghanaians. That, he said would ensure that the public got access to prescribed medications listed under the NHIS in addition to proper education on medicine doses. 'The collaboration would also enhance access to quality healthcare by creating a sustainable, progressive, and equitable social health insurance to the persons covered by the Scheme,' Dr Ireland said. Dr Yaa Pokuaa Baiden, Deputy Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the NHIA, said as of the end of 2023, 140 pharmacies out of about 5,300 across the country had enrolled to provide services under the NHIS. She expressed concern about the low numbers and encouraged more pharmacies to collaborate and work with the Scheme, stating that the payment of claims by the Scheme had improved since 2020. Dr Baiden said the Authority would continuously work in collaboration with relevant agencies especially those involved in Ghana's health delivery system by granting credentials to facilities, undertaking service utilisation reviews and technology assessments. She urged healthcare providers to submit claims for services provided to members of the NHIS to the Authority within 90 days of providing the services to avoid delay in payment. 'Claims generation, submission and processing have been enhanced with the complete migration to online processes at all stages, thereby improving claims payments,' she said. She called on pharmacists to join the global journey towards achieving Universal Health Coverage (UHC), saying, 'Pharmacists have a very essential role to play in attaining UHC nobody else can fill that space for us'. Source: Ghana News Agency

Dr Antwi Boasiako, a medical officer at the Bekwai government hospital, has stressed the need for a sustained public education campaign to encourage the citizens to undertake regular medical check-ups. He said encouraging people to prioritize their health by seeking regular medical screening at hospitals would go a long way to reduce dangerous medical situations and sudden deaths, especially among the youth and middle-aged persons. Speaking to journalists during a free medical screening for the traders and residents of Asante-Bekwai, he said most people were unaware of their health conditions and status. The screening was organized by ASA Savings and Loans as part of its corporate social responsibilities for its customers and traders at the Bekwai market. About 300 people benefited from the exercise, which was aimed at identifying ailments such as malaria, typhoid fever, hepatitis, high blood pressure, diabetes, stomach ulcers and eye problems. The beneficiaries also received free treated mosquito nets a nd counselling services from the medical team. Dr Boasiako indicated that the outcome of the exercise made it urgent for the public to be educated on the need to take their healthcare very seriously. He said the team observed the lack of exercise among the people, poor diet, stress and poor personal hygiene, as some of the factors contributing to the deteriorating health of many people. Dr Boasiako urged the public to take their personal healthcare seriously and undertake regular check-ups to prevent sudden attacks and deaths. He commended ASA Savings and Loans for the initiative and said it was timely and life-saving for the beneficiaries. Mr Samuel Odame Sakyi, Bekwai Area Manager of ASA Savings and Loans, said reaching out to society with such exercises remained a key agenda of the company to make a positive impact on the people they serve. He said the exercise was to help promote the general well-being of the people in the communities within its catchment area. Source: Ghana News Agency

The Volta Regional Health Directorate has honoured hard working individuals and institutions that distinguished themselves last year, at its 2023 Regional Annual Performance Review conference. Ten deserving individuals and four institutions that exemplified themselves received items and citations under the Ghana Health Service Excellence Awards Scheme. Afadzato South District adjudged best performing District; South Tongu District Hospital, Sogakope won the best performing primary level Hospital; Gbi Wegbe Health Centre, Hohoe Municipal, was the best performing Health Centre while Kpomkpo CHPS Compound won the best performing CHPS Compound. Recognition for the individual category was Dr Iris Adjah for the the Leadership Excellence Awards primary-level Hospital/Polyclinic. Other leadership excellence awards went to Mr George Winlove Nyasembi, Health Centre; Ms Belinda Tuaa, CHPS compound; Mr Matthew Ayangba, District Health Directorate. The Most Outstanding Staff for Regional Health Directorate went to Mr Ignatius Aklikpe; Mr Jerome Kwaku Enyonam took that of Secondary-level Hospital with Mr Francis K. Agbenorlawodugah taking that of District Health Directorate. Other winners included Ms Monica Akosua Manti for primary-level hospital/Polyclinic; Mr Osei Boateng Ibrahim for Health Centres and Ms Joyce Abena Prah for CHPS compound. Dr Chrysantus Kubio, Volta Regional Director of Health said staff motivation remained paramount priority of management and would continue those tangent and congratulated winners for sterling performance. He said the Region has many accomplishments to showcase in the year under review and was optimistic the awardees at the regional level would show visibility and emerge victorious at the national contest. The Regional Director indicated that South Tongu Hospital, Sogakope, and the Volta Regional Hospital, Hohoe had emerged as the best primary-level hospital and second best ranked amongst its peers at the maiden national GHS Excellence Awards in 2022 and heightening the stakes for t he region. The two-day conference in Ho, was under the theme, 'Strengthening the Primary Healthcare System for Improved Access to Quality Health Service Delivery: The Role of Networks of Practice (NoPs).' Dr Kubio said it sought to consolidate and build on the benefits of strengthened stakeholder engagement and involvement in the implementation of primary health policies. He noted that the NoPs were initially piloted in South Dayi, South Tongu and later Afadzato South and Hohoe Municipal with the overall goal to increase access and to quality essential healthcare for all by 2030. He said there was significant augmentation of staff capacity and encouraged collaboration among facilities at Afadzato South and Hohoe through improved technical and operational support. Dr Kubio encouraged members of staff to redouble efforts at customer satisfaction as their mandate required of them in the face of challenging working conditions. Source: Ghana News Agency

The Advocating for Health (A4H) Project, a coalition of public health experts, has embarked on consultative process on Sugar-Sweetened Beverages (SSBs) tax implementation in Ghana. It was on the theme: 'Taxes Build Nations: Evidence-informed Health Taxes Save Lives.' It was aimed at bringing together key stakeholders to discuss the science behind food-related health tax policies and the current state of implementation of Ghana's Excise Duty Amendment Act 2023 (Act 1093/1108). It was also to review international and the local evidence on the effectiveness of SSB taxes in reducing sugar consumption and improving public health, discuss challenges, opportunities, and strategies for the effective implementation of the policy in Ghana. The Coalition comprised of University of Ghana Public Health School, Ghana Non-Communicable Diseases Alliance, Ghana Public Health Association, Ghana Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, and civil society organisations. Professor Kingsley K. Pereko, President of the Ghana Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, and facilitator of the workshop in an interview with the Ghana News Agency said processes for the review were initiated to look at the current state of implementing the policy in Ghana, logistical, technical, ethical, and strategic considerations. He said the consumption of SSB has soared over the few decades, contributing significantly to the obesity epidemic, and linked to an increased risk of chronic conditions such as type two diabetes, heart diseases and dental problems. Prof Pereko said taxing these beverages was also seen to reduce consumption, especially among high-risk groups such as children and low-income individuals. He said the challenges persist, the evidence suggest that thoughtfully designed and implemented taxations can drive positive change in consumer behaviour, improve public health outcome and provides a sustainable source of revenue for health initiatives. Dr Alex Kombat, Assistant Commissioner of the Ghana Revenue Authority who spoke on the SSB tax said i t was the responsibility of Government to protect its citizenry against any health risks associated with consumption of harmful products. 'One means of doing this is through imposition of health taxes on products that have negative public health impact, especially alcoholic beverages and SSBs,' he said. He stated that the implementation of the SSB tax as amended and backed by Excise Duty Amendment Act 2023 (Act 1108), started on April 15, 2023, and mentioned some of the challenges as low nationwide sensitization and food and beverages producers showing resistance to the tax. Dr Kombat said the implementation of the SSB tax required total collaboration of all relevant stakeholders to ensure its effectiveness. Mrs Irene Sam, a participant from the National Council of Parent Teachers Association told the GNA that; 'We are really at the epidemic situation of too much consumption of SSB products.' She said education on nutrition was key to solving SSB and called on the PTAs to ensure collaboration so that the schools can have a policy. Mr Abayomi Sarumi, Senior Programme Manager of Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa from Nigeria, also told the GNA instituting taxes to control consumption of sugar sweetened beverages was an effective way to reduce the consumption of harmful, unhealth and non-nutrition drinks and other foods. 'It's also important to draw attention of the public to the dangers but more importantly to garner their support for government's efforts to combat diseases through this means,' he said. Source: Ghana News Agency