By Anthony Adongo Apubeo
Bolgatanga, June 21, GNA – The Management of the Upper East Regional Hospital has intensified appeals for support for the establishment of a Dialysis Centre in the region to provide treatment for kidney patients.
The Management of the facility made the call when the Bolgatanga, Nangodi, Bongo and Tongo (BONABOTO), an advocacy civil society organisation (CSO) presented a cheque of GH₵15,000.00 to the Hospital to support the establishment of the Dialysis Centre.
The Regional Hospital serves as a referral facility for all the 15 Municipalities and Districts in the region, North East Region and other neighbouring countries like Burkina Faso and Togo.
However, the facility does not have a Dialysis Centre, compelling kidney patients to travel to the Tamale Teaching Hospital and in some instances to the southern parts of the country to seek medical treatment.
The situation not only imposes a financial burden on the patients but had contributed to some preventable deaths with the region recording 15 deaths out of 30 people who had kidney related disease as at the end of 2022.
Dr Samuel Aborah, the Clinical Coordinator of the Upper East Regional Hospital, who received the cheque on behalf of Management, commended BONABOTO and urged the government, other organisations and philanthropists among others to support the course.
He indicated that majority of kidney patients in the region were faced with the challenges of travelling to southern parts of the country to seek for medical treatment and said when such a facility was established in the region, it would help save many lives.
He said an area had been earmarked for the establishment of the facility and all that was needed was equipment and other organisation to commence operation.
Professor Samuel Atintono, the National President of BONABOTO, who presented the cheque to the Management of the Regional Hospital, said the support was in response to the call made by the Management of the facility to his outfit.
He explained that the support was made possible through the contributions from BONABOTO members and gave the assurance that members were still contributing, and the association would continue to support the project.
Professor Atintono said health and education were among the key priorities of BONABOTO and it would continue to contribute to support such sectors in the region.
He cited instances where BONABOTO through the UK branch and the branches in Ghana donated medical equipment to the Bolgatanga Regional hospital and complemented the efforts of health facilities in the region to render health services such as surgical operations to the needy free of charge.
Professor Atintono commended the Management of the facility for taking that bold initiative to launch an appeal to help establish the centre and stressed that Government alone could not provide all the necessary infrastructure for the health needs of the people.
Dr Esmond Agurgo Balfour, the Regional Chairman of BONABOTO, said the NGO had good relationship with the management of the Upper East Regional hospital and promised that such relationship would be deepened to promote development in the region.
GNA