The Health Minister, Kwaku Agyemang Manu has revealed that the Finance Ministry has approved GH¢4 million to clear an outstanding debt owed the Renal Unit of the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital.
He announced this when he appeared before Parliament on Thursday to answer questions about the unit, particularly its closure.
“The Ministry of Health has since requested the Ministry of Finance to settle the total indebtedness of GH¢4 million and the good news is that the Minister of Finance has just approved the disbursement of this GH¢4 million to support our patients in Korle-Bu,” he said.
The outpatient department of the renal unit was closed down in May 2023 due to debt, leading to the death of 19 patients.
Hospital authorities blamed the situation on the removal of tax and excise duty exemption on medical consumables which had doubled the prices of the essential commodities.
The hospital had earlier tried to increase fees for dialysis treatment from GH¢380 to GH¢765 to cover the cost, stating that should the old fees be maintained; the centre would not be able to stay open for more than a week.
However, after weeks of piling pressure on state authorities and hospital management, the renal unit has been opened.
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