Renal disease patients are sceptical about the sustainability of the free dialysis programme initiated by the current administration.
Their concern is borne out of the uncertainty surrounding the funding source for the programme that started on December 1 under the current administration.
President of the renal patients’ kojo Balfour Ahenkorah tells us they are in the process of seeking an audience with the president-elect John Dramani Mahama to know the way forward. On December 1 government rolled out the free dialysis policy under the national health insurance scheme.
The decision followed a series of concerns on the cost of dialysis in the country, gaining both public and media attention months ago when issues of galamsey intensified.
It became topical on the campaigns of the two major political parties with the current government pushing through with its promise to make the dialysis service free from December 1, after the implementation of pilot plan in June this year.
CEO of the national health insurance scheme Dr. Aboagye Dacosta during the official launch of reassured Ghanaians of preparations to ensure the sustainability of the programme in years to come.
The NDC on the other hand in its manifesto also promised to establish a Cancer and Kidney Disease Trust Fund and to also remove taxes on essential medical supplies for dialysis.
So far the initiative started in December is in progress at the selected health facilities across the country.
President of the renal patients’ Kojo Baffour Ahenkorah says all has been smooth at the various facilities so far and they are grateful.
“So far so good. At least it started on the first of December as promised. I was out of town, but my church it was I speak, as at now, I’ve not heard anything from any contest that they are denying them so, so far so good. We’ve not heard anything yet. Nothing has come out like Korle Bu, for instance, when we come, they do ask, I have a normal thing, voice or receipt, have you paid now? We don’t go through those things again. So if it’s successful, once you come. “
However, there are concerns regarding the effective implementation of the policy and its sustainability in providing patients with the needed medical care, especially as an estimated 57 million cedis is needed annually for the policy.
He said they are in the process of meeting the president-elect to know what’s in store for them in the next government.
“I could have said, per what they give us, per the services they give us, per their budget. They give us that putting that thing on their claim sheet, it’s on their claim it’s on the National Insurance Claim sheet that you do with comfort claims. So it’s not reversible. So I could have said the sustainability was there because what they gave us, the blah, blah, blah, blah, I don’t have them here, but what they gave us then was 100% sure it was going to continue. Now the incoming government, now, I don’t know for sure. We are trying as much as possible to meet the government before they take over, so that we’ll put our request before them that they should maintain it for us, but I believe they will do so in order. Because if you see both of them in their manifesto, they hadn’t there that they were going to make it free. Mahama said you were going to take care of the dialysis patient and day. It’s back to this thing. So if you, both of you have the same ideas. Why not? Somebody has started it. Why don’t you continue? So we are believing, yes this, that we are hearing from other contests, that the sustainability, but like I’m saying, I don’t want with the national interest, but per what they told us, the chief executive there or now, told us that the moneys that they get them.
“But what they do, they can do it for the next 10 years. So we believe that whoever is coming in should come and continue when you start. Because we believe they pay for the first for the first three months as of now, we are very sure the payment has been made for the first three months from the warrior match. So I’m sure by the time they will take over, they will settle down. Maybe they can also look into it and then take it from there. So we are praying that it should be sustainable, apart from whether you have the COVID levy there. Now that they say they are going to scrub, they should do the money into it for us. They should just push it there because they say they should have the COVID Levy, the other levies, they are going to scrub, and all those things. Yes, we believe so. But once they pay the COVID levy for a very long time, the amount of money is there, and then“
The fate of the initiative currently hangs in the balance until the incoming administration makes a decisive statement regarding its sustainability.
By Frederick Kunzote-Ani
Source:
3news.com
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