Asaase Foundation commended for procuring dialysis machine for hospitals

Dr Dominic Akaateba, head of department of internal medicine at the Upper West Regional Hospital has expressed gratitude to The Asaase Foundation for its timely intervention to procure a dialysis machine for the hospital.

The Asaase Foundation – established to drive corporate social responsibility initiatives by Asaase Radio – held a charity ball on Saturday (26 February) to raise funds to support individuals with kidney diseases.

Speaking to Kwaku Nhyira-Addo after the ball, Dr Akaateba called on individuals and organisations to emulate such gesture to help the hospital treat more patients.

“Most people who are coming in for dialysis have a few co-morbidities. Like those who have Hepatitis B, you cannot dialyse them on the same machine like someone else and same applies to those who have Hepatitis C and HIV. So, we need usually separate machines for these.

“The case is dire in my hospital because the prevalence of Hepatitis B up north is more than 32%, the World Health organization (WHO) will usually classify any country that has more than 8% as endemic. So, in Ghana our country prevalence is about 15%, so we are endemic for Hepatitis B,” he said.

Alarming situation

“The ratio is even alarming when you move up north about 32%, so I usually say we are super-endemic. So, having only one machine, will mean that all those who have Hepatitis B are excluded from having dialysis. Upon hearing that there is a dialysis machine here all the regions of the north except Tamale will have to depend on the single machine and so the situation is dire,” Akaateba said.

For his part, Dr Cardinal Newton, medical director of the Bono Ahafo Regional Hospital also appealed to benevolent organisations to partner Asaase Foundation in procuring more dialysis machines for health facilities in the country.

“We are very grateful that Asaase Foundation has come in, for sometime now we have been talking about dialysis machine but just as Dr Akaateba is saying, one is okay but to work effectively we need at least two. So, we need donors to assist the foundation to be able to support at least these two hospitals,” he said.

Fred Dzakpata

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