By Godfred Zina
The Regional Coordinator of Caye, West Africa, Bernard Oduro Takyi, has urged the government to broaden the scope of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) so that it can cover other illnesses including such as kidney disease.
Speaking with the GTV Breakfast Show with Host Kafui Dey on Monday, December 6, 2021 he said, “I think that the government must wake up and review the NHIS. They [Government] need to broaden the scope, there are some payments that we need to add on to the already existing ones’’.
He gave an example of a Kidney Patient, Kwame Kwarteng (who joined the Breakfast Show), he added that health care would be for the wealthy and middle-income families, which are few in our society because the poor cannot afford it.
“I heard Kwame Kwarteng talk about spending almost Gh¢700 multiplied by 4 weeks. If he doesn’t come from a rich home or a middle income home, it means health is for quite few people. But I think that we must not run a bourgeoisies’ System where the rich only thrives’’, Mr. Oduro stated.
The Kidney Patient, Kwame Kwarteng also shared his story and spoke of how expensive treatment had been.
“I visit Korle-Bu-Bu two times a week and it costs Gh¢ 325 for 4 hours’’.
A Medical Doctor at Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital Dr. Nii Odartey Lamptey also stated that the campaign to include kidney treatment in the National Health Insurance Scheme NHIS has yielded no significant results.
End-stage renal disease (ESRD), also known as kidney failure, is the final stage of chronic kidney disease. When your kidneys fail, it means they are no longer producing enough urine for you to live without dialysis or a kidney transplant.
Diabetes is the most common cause of end-stage renal disease. The second most common cause of ESRD is high blood pressure.
‘’Having one of the health issues that can lead to kidney failure does not guarantee that you will have kidney failure. Maintaining a healthy lifestyle and working with your doctor to manage these health issues can help your kidneys last as long as possible’’, Dr. Odartey Lamptey shared.
Kidney Failure Symptoms
Some of the signs that your kidneys are failing are as follows:
Itching, cramping, nausea, and vomiting. Not feeling hungry, swelling of feet and ankles. Too much urine (pee) or insufficient urine, having difficulty catching your breath and sleeping.