General News of Friday, 29 September 2023

Source: www.ghanaweb.com

Management of Korle-Bu Hospital to be hauled before Ministry of Health over illegal dialysis fees

Minister of Health, Kwaku Agyeman-Manu Minister of Health, Kwaku Agyeman-Manu

Reports suggest that the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital management has been summoned by the Ministry of Health for charging unapproved fees at the dialysis unit.

According to the health ministry, the management of the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital failed to use the right channels and procedures before the decision to increase their fees.

The ministry further stated that the leadership is yet to have this move by Korle-Bu reported to them.

This was communicated by the Head of Public Relations at the health ministry, Isaac Ofie, according to a cictinewsroom.com report.

“Before you increase [fees], there is a need for proper procedure or caution to be taken, extending the proposal or the proposed price to Parliament for approval thus the fees before you charge. …but this has not gotten to us yet and even if it has gotten to the ministry, it should be before Parliament and Parliament will have to approve that before it is charged,” Ofie said.

The youth of Ghana descended on the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital after it emerged a few days ago that the dialysis unit of the hospital had increased its fees from GH¢380 to GH¢765.42.

The PRO for the hospital, Mustapha Salifu, explained that this was because the government had cut off the support it was giving to the Renal unit of the hospital.

However, the hospital released another statement immediately to counter the claims of an increase in dialysis fees for kidney failure patients.

The CEO of the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital explained that the hospital was still deliberating on the proposed fees and had not approved it yet.

Meanwhile, the CEO of the hospital, Dr. Opoku Ware Ampomah, told Citi News that only six people have been affected by the new charges but measures are being put in place to deal with it.

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