Associate Professor at the University of Ghana Medical School and Consultant Nephrologist at Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, Prof. Vincent Boima, has called for dialysis treatment to be fully funded and sponsored by the state.
Speaking on the theme “To Eat or Not to Eat: Dietary Habits and the Courting of Kidney Diseases” during the second day of the College of Health Sciences’ 25th Anniversary Public Lecture on September 25, 2025, at the British Council, Prof. Boima highlighted that the high cost of dialysis makes it difficult even for wealthy patients to afford treatment.
He added that the sequence and complexity of care further increase the financial burden, urging government and other institutions to intervene as part of national efforts to tackle Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD).
“So again, it’s a global phenomenon. The cost of dialysis is really very high, not affordable by the ordinary person. It needs sponsorship. It needs to be state-funded.”
Addressing strategies to help reduce the cost of CKD treatment, Prof. Boima also called for strengthening NHIS financing through the introduction of sin taxes on items such as cigarettes and alcohol. He stressed that the revenues generated should be strictly allocated to the fight against Chronic Kidney Disease.
“To strengthen NHIS financing, maybe we should start putting some taxes on cigarettes, smoking, alcohol, and all those kinds of things, and all this money should be earmarked for kidney treatment.”
His comments come in the wake of a persistent rise in both CKD cases and the cost of treatment.
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Story by Kwadwo Owusu Anane | univers.ug.edu.gh
Edited by Gabriel Tecco Mensah
