The Forum for Development and Accountable Governance (FDAG) has exposed the government's highly publicized "free dialysis" initiative as a politically motivated deception, claiming that the program was designed as an electoral gimmick and collapsed almost immediately after the December 2024 elections. In a statement issued on Thursday, February 27, 2025 and signed by its Senior Research Fellow, Nana Kojo Abbam, FDAG's latest findings indicates that Ghana's dialysis crisis has reached catastrophic levels. "Ghana's dialysis crisis has reached catastrophic levels, with an estimated 5,000 renal patients requiring regular dialysis treatment to survive.
Yet, due to poor access, exorbitant costs, and the government's failure to implement a sustainable dialysis policy, over 60% of these patients either receive inadequate treatment or none at all"-the statement indicated. According to FDAG's investigations, many of the selected hospitals for the program were unable to provide the promised free treatment.
In their field assessments across the major hospitals, including Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, and Tamale Teaching Hospital, the FDAG Researchers found that "more than 70% of patients who were supposed to benefit from the program were unable to access treatment due to logistical constraints, funding challenges, machine shortages, and administrative confusion". A Short-Lived and Politically Motivated Initiative The government, through the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA), launched the free dialysis initiative in November 2024, announcing that 40 health facilities had been designated to provide the service.
An allocation of between GHS 20 million and GHS 57 million was reportedly set aside for the program, with additional support expected from the World Bank to provide modern dialysis machines.
