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Dialysis crisis: Teenage patient who appealed for support from government to pay bills passes on
A 15-year-old renal patient on dialysis at the Cape Coast Teaching Hospital, who appealed for support in an interview with JoyNews, has died.
The mother of the young girl, Priscilla Asante, revealed that her daughter passed away early Sunday at 1 a.m.
In an interview with JoyNews’ Richard Kwadwo Nyarko, Madam Ruth said that she saw her daughter, Priscilla, bloating on the day of her passing.
She added the doctor had informed her that this was an indication both kidneys of the young girl had failed.
Speaking on Joy FM’s Newsnight, on Wednesday, the headmaster of Mampong Catholic A Basic School, where Priscilla was a pupil, revealed that the young girl had been writing her third term examination prior to the tragedy.
Mr Francis Ampong said that the school had noted some unusual changes in Priscilla days before her passing and had sent her home to her parents.
He stated that there was a delay in sending her to the hospital immediately because her mother who was home at the time had no money.
However, they managed to send her to a local hospital and later the Cape Coast Teaching Hospital where she died days later.
Meanwhile, Priscialla’s mother noted that her daughter’s death came just a month after she started her dialysis treatment.
She said that had her daughter survived the family would have needed about GH¢1000 every week for her dialysis treatment.
Madam Ruth stated that in the short time period, the family has accumulated a lot of debt in their bid to help her daughter seek treatment.
She said that they still needed to pay the hospital about GH¢4000 to retrieve her daughter’s body for burial on Sunday.
Madam Ruth appealed to the government to reduce the cost of dialysis treatment so people from lower-income homes struggling with renal failure could afford it.
Priscilla’s death comes barely a day after her interview with JoyNews was aired.
The young Junior High School student revealed she had to miss classes and seek treatment at the Cape Coast Teaching Hospital every week.
She shared her dream of wanting to become a nurse and hoped for a full recovery.
Priscilla had appealed to the public and the government to come to her and her family’s aid so they could pay for her dialysis treatment.
Background
The past weeks have witnessed a public outcry over the increase in the cost of dialysis – a regular medical treatment for persons with kidney failure in Ghana.
It follows reports of the increased cost of dialysis per session for those with kidney conditions by over 100% at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital.
The cost of dialysis per session at the hospital was increased from GH¢380.00 to GH¢765.42.
While some health facilities are yet to adjust their costs, regular dialysis is a headache for many who are unable to afford it resulting in the death of many patients.
In a press conference on Monday, the Renal Patients Association of Ghana, comprised of individuals with kidney conditions, disclosed that fourteen of its members passed away between May and September while at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital.
The association attributed this to a shortage of consumables at the facility, resulting in a limitation of dialysis services to only emergency cases.
Source: Myjoyonline.com
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GEXIM deepens relations with US EXIM Bank
A management team of the Ghana Export – Import Bank (GEXIM) led by the Acting Chief Executive, Sylvester Mensah met with the leadership of the Export–Import Bank of the United States (US EXIM) on Wednesday April 23, 2025 in Washington DC, United States of America.
The Acting President and Chairman of US EXIM, Mr. James C. Cruse and Vice President, International Relations, Ms. Isabel Galdiz received the GEXIM delegation, which included Deputy CEO for Banking, Mr. Moses Klu Mensah and Head of International Cooperation, Mr. Jonathan Christopher Koney at the headquarters of US EXIM.
The meeting offered the GEXIM team the opportunity to share the strategic direction of the Bank in line with the resetting agenda of the President of the Republic, His Excellency John Dramani Mahama for the repositioning of the Ghanaian economy into an export-led one by providing the requisite investment to Ghanaian businesses.
Mr. James C. Cruse expressed US EXIM’s eagerness to deepen its existing relations with GEXIM and proposed the signing of a new Cooperative Framework Agreement following the expiration of a Memorandum of Understanding signed in 2019 to utilize US EXIM’s medium term loan guarantees to procure machinery by GEXIM for qualified Ghanaian Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs).
Mr.Sylvester Mensah thanked the Acting President and Chairman of US EXIM for hosting the GEXIM delegation and reaffirmed the Ghanaian government’s commitment to strengthening trade and investment between Ghana and its global partners for economic transformation of Ghana with GEXIM playing a pivotal role.
The two teams will be meeting on the sidelines of the 2025 US EXIM Annual Conference on 29th and April 30, 2025 to explore possible areas of collaboration and matching Ghanaian businesses to American companies. The meeting ended with an exchange of gifts.
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Many SOEs have been used as mere instruments for personal wealth accumulation –Pres.Mahama
President John Dramani Mahama has expressed concern over the misuse of State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs) for personal financial gain by individuals in leadership positions.
Speaking during a meeting with Chief Executives of specified entities under the State Interest and Governance Authority (SIGA) on Thursday, March 13, the President directly attributed the dire state of SOEs to their leadership, accusing chief executives, management teams, and governing boards of prioritising personal enrichment over organisational efficiency.
He pointed to bloated budgets, unjustified allowances, and unnecessary expenditures as factors draining public funds while SOEs continue to rely on government bailouts.
“Many SOEs have been used as mere instruments for personal wealth accumulation by appointees. The chief executives, management, and boards of these enterprises are responsible for this situation. Some SOEs have become perennial loss-makers, draining public funds with bloated budgets, unjustified allowances, and unnecessary expenditures while relying on government bailouts as if entitled to them. Many of these entities are at their lowest point in the entire history of the Fourth Republic,” he said.
President Mahama further noted that many SOEs have been plagued by inefficiencies, corruption, and mismanagement, leading to consistent financial losses. He cited the 2023 State Ownership Report by the State Interests and Governance Authority (SIGA), which highlighted systemic inefficiencies and wasteful expenditures within these entities.
He therefore reaffirmed his commitment to reforming under-performing SOEs and ensuring they serve national interests.
He warned that loss-making SOEs will no longer be tolerated and will either be merged, privatised, or closed.
“I will assess you based on your performance. If you do not align with the pace of the reset agenda, you may be asked to step aside. If that adds to the horror movie, so be it,” he added.
Source: Myjoyonline.com
