Closure of renal unit was due to shortage of supplies - Korle-Bu CEO

The Chief Executive Officer of Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, Dr. Opoku Ware Ampomah has stated that the recent shutdown of the hospital's renal section was caused by a shortage of critical supplies required to operate the facility successfully. 

The Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital has resumed its outpatient renal dialysis facility after overcoming a supply constraint that prompted its shutdown for three weeks.

Renal patients had planned to picket at the unit on Wednesday, August 21, to protest the scarcity that had denied them critical medical attention.

However, with the prompt delivery of the essential supplies, the hospital resumed dialysis treatments the same day.

He explained during an interview on Citi Fm that during the shortage, the hospital could only handle emergency and in-patient cases, while outpatient dialysis services were temporarily discontinued, and patients were asked to seek alternative treatment options.

“For this current situation, we have been engaging with our supplier after we had paid, settled our obligations and were expecting the next delivery of consumables. This has been packed since March this year, we were told that they were having issues with shipping lines. We were told that it was a global phenomenon, where they were not getting enough ships to come through because of what was happening in the Suez Canal and other places. So, it affected supply but, then we were assured that it would come in eminently.

“Unfortunately, it only arrived at the beginning of July, we’re expecting that the paperwork would be ready for the shipping lines so that we can clear it from the port. But unfortunately, it took a while for the shipping lines to get the paperwork released to us. It was emails, and phone calls back and forth. We didn’t have the supplies…"

“We decided to take care of the only emergencies and in-patients, and asked the outpatients to patronise the other facilities around in the meantime for us to get going,” he stated.

Dr. Ampomah acknowledged the patients’ concerns and explained that although dialysis services were available at other facilities, the patients preferred Korle-Bu’s affordable prices and sought to continue their treatment there.

“One of the things stirring up this whole thing is not that there are no options for dialysis, but because Korle-Bu is the only place they can get other prices [affordable]," he added.

Source: Lead News Online