Patients die after closure of Ghana’s renal unit – association

Nineteen kidney patients have died since Ghana’s largest renal centre closed in May due to funding difficulties, the BBC reported, citing the president of the country’s Renal Patients Association.

Kofi Baffour Ahenkorah made the disclosure as Health Minister Kwaku Agyeman Manu was due to meet management at Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital in the capital, Accra, where the unit is based.

The minister is looking at ways to reopen the unit, which was treating 200 patients when it closed five months ago.

Mr Ahenkorah said it had closed because of a shortage of drugs.

Dialysis is only available at three public health institutions in Ghana, where patients are charged about $190 (£160) per week for three sessions.

Mr Ahenkorah said the patients had died because they were unable to access treatment at private dialysis centres, which charge more.