The Minister of Health, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, has criticized the previous administration for allocating GH¢4 million to Ghana’s free dialysis programme, describing the amount as grossly inadequate to meet the needs of patients nationwide.
Addressing the Parliamentary Press Corps on Thursday, March 13, 2025, the Health Minister revealed that of the GH¢4 million allocation, only GH¢2 million came directly from government funds, while the remaining GH¢2 million was sourced through corporate social responsibility initiatives.
Hon. Akandoh, who previously served as the Ranking Member on the Health Committee of Parliament, expressed serious concerns about the absence of a sustainable funding mechanism for dialysis treatment in Ghana.
He highlighted the high costs associated with dialysis sessions, medical consumables, and patient care, emphasizing the insufficiency of the allocated funds.
“I was a ranking member on the Health Committee of Parliament and there were no sustainable sources of funding for the dialysis. It never happened. We even suggested to make provision for dialysis and they allocated GH¢2 million. And they had to go and take an additional GH¢2 million from corporate social responsibility and I can tell you, GH¢4 million cannot take care of dialysis in the whole country,” he stated.
The Minister further stressed the need for a reliable and sustainable funding source for dialysis treatment, warning against overburdening the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) with additional diseases.
“Look, if we decide to put all manner of diseases on the National Health Insurance Scheme, it will collapse. You have no idea about how it costs to treat heart disease or chronic disease and surgeries,” he added.
