BY TIMES REPORTER
The Upper West Regional Hospital has received a GH₵4 million expanded renal care unit to reduce the burden on patients with Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD).
The expansion of the unit includes the addition of six new dialysis machines, ancillary equipment and staff training to the hospital’s renal care capacity.
The facility expansion was sponsored and inaugurated by the Sustainable Health Education and Interventions Limited (SHEILD) last Tuesday.
Speaking at the commissioning ceremony in Wa, the Speaker of Parliament, Mr Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, said the intervention was driven by the need to ensure equitable access to quality healthcare for all Ghanaians, regardless of their location.
He noted that many patients and their families had endured financial difficulties and emotional stress as a result of travelling hundreds of kilometres in search of specialised healthcare services.
Mr Bagbin, who described himself as a son of the Upper West Region, stated that access to life-saving treatment should not be determined by geographical location, stressing that every Ghanaian deserved quality healthcare.
He commended SHEILD, the management of the Upper West Regional Hospital and the dialysis team for their dedication to providing care despite resource constraints.
Mr Bagbin urged all stakeholders to sustain efforts aimed at improving healthcare delivery in underserved communities and said the expanded dialysis unit should serve as a symbol of hope, compassion and responsive leadership.
He added that the true measure of public service was reflected in the number of lives positively impacted.
The Board Director of SHEILD, Dr Sylvia Anie, noted that the expanded facility would significantly reduce the burden on kidney patients in the Upper West Region who previously had to travel outside the region for dialysis treatment.
She described kidney disease as a growing public health challenge, noting that conditions such as hypertension, diabetes, obesity and late diagnosis were major contributors to the increasing number of cases.
Dr Anie mentioned that the facility would enable patients to access life-saving treatment closer to their homes, thereby reducing transportation costs and the emotional strain on families.
She noted that SHEILD had previously supported the establishment of dialysis centres at the Ghana Police Hospital and the Tetteh Quarshie Memorial Hospital.
Dr Anie expressed gratitude to the Speaker of Parliament, the Upper West Parliamentary Caucus, the Ministry of Health, the Ghana Health Service and other partners for their support towards the project.
She further encouraged the public to undergo regular screening for hypertension and diabetes, adopt healthy lifestyles and seek early medical attention to prevent kidney disease.
The Upper West Regional Director of the Ghana Health Service, Dr Josephat Ana-Imwine Nyuzaghl, who represented the Director-General of the Ghana Health Service, Prof. Samuel Kaba Akoriyea, described the donation as timely in view of the increasing burden of kidney disease across the country.
He said the Upper West Regional Hospital remained the only facility providing dialysis services in the region, serving patients from all 11 districts.
According to him, the additional machines would increase treatment capacity, reduce waiting times and lessen the financial and physical burden on patients and their families.
Dr Nyuzaghl disclosed that the Ghana Health Service planned to establish additional dialysis centres at the Nandom, Wa Municipal and Tumu hospitals to further improve access to specialised kidney care services.
He also appealed for a reliable electricity supply to safeguard critical medical equipment and ensure uninterrupted healthcare delivery.
The expanded dialysis unit is expected to strengthen healthcare services in the Upper West Region and improve access to life-saving treatment for patients living with kidney disease.
BY TIMES REPORTER
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