The Renal Patients Association of Ghana has appealed to political parties to prioritise making dialysis treatment more affordable.

The association emphasised the need for them to address the high costs associated with dialysis treatment.

The association’s spokesperson was reacting to a promise by the National Democratic Congress (NDC) to establish modern dialysis centres in regions currently lacking these facilities.

Kojo Ahenkorah first commended the NDC for its pledge but stressed the need for the parties to also consider putting in measures aimed at reducing the cost of 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 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 that he was going to build 16 dialysis centres in all 16 regions,” he said.