The Renal Patients Association of Ghana has urged political parties to prioritize making dialysis treatment more affordable nationwide.

This appeal comes after the National Democratic Congress (NDC) pledged to establish modern dialysis centres in regions currently lacking these facilities.

Kojo Ahenkorah, the association’s spokesperson, responded positively to the NDC’s proposal but emphasized the need to address the high costs associated with dialysis treatment.

“It [dialysis] is a big challenge for the patients. I mean, some travel far and near to come and get treatment at Korle Bu. And it is a big challenge. I have two patients and we just lost one in May. She was commuting from Begoro in the Eastern region twice a week to Korle Bu to have her dialysis and she did that for 10 years before she passed on.

“So if now they [the NDC] have a plan of setting up dialysis centres in all the 16 regions, if it is done, it is going to help and improve and help patients to have their dialysis very simple.

“And then they should look at the pricing too. I don’t know if he talked about pricing because all I heard was he was going to build 16 dialysis centres in all the 16 regions.”