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Ghana can cater for kidney disease patients if committed – Dr. Okoe-Boye
The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA), Dr Bernard Okoe-Boye, says Ghana can cater for persons with renal diseases if it is committed to doing so.
This follows recent discussions and agitations on a yet-to-be-approved cost of renal dialysis at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital and the attendant calls for the NHIA to cover the cost of dialysis.
Dr Okoe-Boye said in an interview on The Point of View on Citi TV on Wednesday that the country could cater for renal disease patients if it put in place some measures.
Outlining what could be done, Dr Okoe-Boye told Bernard Avle “I can tell you very boldly, we can as a country if we are committed to paying totally for kidney care. There are three things we can do. First of all, politically we’ve been going back and forth on funding with NHIS, so we don’t have to go directly to ‘politicians’ for money. Number two, we can put some levy, what is referred to as sin tax on some one or two products which are normally not consumed by the ordinary person but by people in a particular class, and the inflows from that levy can go into a fund not necessarily with National Health Insurance. It can be the chronic disease fund or the peripheral disease fund which will go to the department that takes care of kidney and other cardio diseases. It will enable Korle Bu to heavily subsidise again.”
“Thirdly, we as a country can come together quickly, take away either all the taxes on any item that goes into kidney care, or we can look at two or three consumables which affect the pricing and the state can procure it directly… So we have a duty as a country to find ways to beat down the cost of dialysis either to zero or about 20%. Lastly, we can still register those who are indigenes who cannot afford some GH¢20, give them special cards and the state can reimburse them from health insurance, it can be done,” Dr. Okoe-Boye said.
Source: Citinewsroom.com
Ghana’s First Lady, Lordina Mahama, has made a generous donation to the country’s national female Under-17 and Under-20 teams – Black Maidens and Black Princesses- as they continue preparations for major international assignments.
The donation, made on Friday, May 22, was presented on behalf of the First Lady by the Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection, Agnes Naa Momo Lartey, at the GFA Technical Centre in Prampram.
The gesture forms part of efforts to motivate and support Ghana’s young female footballers as they prepare to represent the country on the international stage.
The donation included essential food items and toiletries aimed at supporting the welfare and well-being of the players and technical teams.
The donation included cartons of Milo, T-rolls, soft drinks, toiletries, and a range of essential supplies aimed at supporting the welfare of the players, enhancing camp conditions, and easing preparations ahead of their respective assignments.
The Black Maidens are currently engaged in preparations for the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup qualifiers and are set to take on Liberia women’s national under-17 football team in the second-leg encounter in Liberia this weekend.
Meanwhile, the Black Princesses have already secured qualification to the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup after overcoming Uganda in the qualifiers, extending Ghana’s remarkable record to eight consecutive appearances at the tournament.
The donation by the First Lady was expected to boost morale within both camps while reinforcing national support for the young female footballers who continue to make the country proud.
The prosecution has officially rested its case in The Republic v Solomon Asamoah & Another, the high-profile legal battle commonly referred to as the “Sky Train” case.
The Deputy Attorney General Justice Srem Sai announced the development, praising the state’s team of hard-working prosecutors for successfully anchoring the state’s evidence before the High Court.
The criminal trial centers on the former Chief Executive Officer and the former Board Chairman of the Ghana Infrastructure Investment Fund (GIIF).
The duo stands accused of illegally authorizing and paying out US$2 million to a foreign company without obtaining board directives or other mandatory statutory approvals.
State investigators have confirmed that the disbursed millions cannot be found.
Following the closure of the prosecution’s case, the accused persons moved the court for an opportunity to file a submission of no case.
The presiding judge granted the application, ordering the defense to submit their arguments by June 8.
The outcome of the June 8 filings will decide the fate of the trial:
With this, if the judge finds the defense’s submission convincing, the accused will be acquitted and discharged however, If the judge dismisses the submission, the court will order the accused officials to take the stand and explain why they should not face prison sentences.
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
