Govt approves disbursement of GH¢4m to clear Korle-Bu renal unit’s debt

The government has approved GH¢4 million to settle the debt owed by the renal unit of Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital.

The unit was closed to outpatients on May 22, 2023, forcing patients to seek dialysis services in private medical establishments due to the GH¢4 million debt.

The closure also led to the death of more than a dozen patients because they could not raise the needed funds for dialysis at private facilities.

It will be recalled that the Minister of Health, Kwaku Agyemang-Manu, directed the management of the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital to reopen the unit immediately but it was not opened until Monday, November 6, 2023.

During a session on November 2, 2023, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, the Member of Parliament for Juaboso and the Ranking Member on the Health Committee of Parliament, raised a concern about the closure of the Renal Unit.

He requested that the Health Minister be summoned to the House to provide an explanation on the matter.

Speaking to parliament on Thursday, November 9, the minister announced that the Ministry of Finance had approved the said amount to settle the unit’s debt.

“The Ministry of Health has since requested the Ministry of Finance to settle the total indebtedness of GH¢4 million and the good news is that the Minister of Finance has just approved the disbursement of this GH¢4 million to support our patients in Korle-Bu,” the minister said.