The Sekondi-Takoradi Progressive Global Club, a global network of citizens from Sekondi-Takoradi living abroad have contributed to commission the first-ever Haemodialysis Unit for the Takoradi Hospital.

This is to make the government’s free dialysis treatment policy accessible and beneficial to many in the Western Region.

It is also because of the galamsey-induced water pollution, worsening the prevalence of kidney disease amidst the breakdown of dialysis machines at the Effia-Nkwanta Hospital.

The Takoradi Hospital Dialysis Unit fitted with two modern dialysis machines becomes the second Public Hospital in the Western Region to have a dialysis unit to provide the critical dialysis treatment to kidney diseased patients.

Speaking at the handing over of the $150,000 Haemodialysis unit for the Takoradi Hospital, the President of the Sekondi-Takoradi Progressive Club Global, Dr Caroline Ewurabena Ampah, said it is to end the stressful and expensive long distances by kidney patients just to access treatment.

She said rationale for the project was to end the worsening galamsey pollution of water bodies which is also a potential to increasing kidney cases.

“This was also established based on the fact that kidney problem has been an issue the globally, especially in the Western Region of Ghana. My progressive club had a look and realised that the galamsey is pollution is causing a lot of problems and the only way we can assist as citizens of the Western Region is to bring dialysis machines. Not because we want people to be on dialysis but brought it as precautionary measure. It is just fortunate that we had a lot of people on dialysis that we didn’t even know,” she said.

The President while commending and appreciating the contributions of members of the Sekondi-Takoradi Progressive Club Global to positively impact the lives of residents, also advocated for government to genuinely absorb all cost to do with dialysis and general kidney treatment.

The Sekondi-Takoradi Progressive Club Global also donated 45 boxes of assorted medical consumables to the Takoradi Hospital.

Medical Superintendent of the Takoradi Hospital, Dr George Peprah while grateful to the Sekondi-Takoradi Progressive Club Global for the centre, highlighted how live saving the centre has become to kidney patients and the need to expand.

“This is a great facility that the Sekondi-Takoradi Progressive Club Global have delivered on to us, giving us two brand new dialysis machines. We were sending patients to Effia-Nkwanta which also has it’s own challenges, Cape Coast and sometimes as far as Accra just to have access to dialysis services. Having these brand new machines with us, we can now do our dialysis in house and the demand is so high.

“Before we even commissioned the Unit, these machines have done 300 sessions of dialysis already and so we are grateful to the Progressive Club Global. We however call for more machines to expand services,” he acknowledged.

Also speaking at the commission of the Takoradi Hospital Dialysis Unit, a renowned medical practitioner and former Vice Chancellor of the University of Ghana, Prof Emeritus Nii Boi Tagoe, while rehashing the dire state of access to dialysis treatment said 10% of Ghanaian kidney patients who are on dialysis treatment are unable to continue dialysis beyond three months due to high cost and difficulties with accessing dialysis treatment.

Chronic kidney disease is known to be one of the top 10 leading cause of death globally and in Ghana, 13.3% of Ghanaians have the disease with most not even aware. Despite government making a large portion of dialysis treatment free for Ghanaians, the lack of dialysis centres across the country is affecting real impact of the policy. In the whole of the Western Region now, there are only two public hospitals with Dialysis units serving a population of over one million. The Effia-Nkwanta Hospital Dialysis Unit in Sekondi which is the main Western regional referral Centre has three out of its four dialysis machines broken down as at the time of filling this report and currently able to attend to just about five patients out of 25 expected daily sessions.