Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, the ranking member of Parliament’s Health Committee, has denounced Kwaku Agyeman Manu, the Health Minister, over his inability to reopen the Korle Bu Renal Unit.
According to Mr Mintah Akandoh, the Minority Chief Whip had urged Mr. Agyeman Manu to instruct the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital to reopen the kidney unit right away on the floor of parliament, but the minister had neglected to make the directive.
Since May, the Korle Bu Renal Unit has been closed, and hospital administrators have attributed this to the elimination of the exemption from taxes and excise duties on medical supplies.
The hospital now owed four million cedis as a result of this.
The hospital had previously attempted to raise the dialysis prices, claiming that the centre would not be able to remain operational for longer than a week if the previous fees were maintained.
Approximately 19 renal patients have died since it closed in May.
Mr Mintah Akandoh stated in a JoyFM interview that the minister needs to be removed from his position if he is unable to guarantee the centre’s reopening.
“Assuming the minister has the authority to give orders, how come, as I speak to you, that instruction has not been followed? What is he doing in the ministry?” He asked.
He stated that the Akufo-Addo government has failed to show any compassion to the affected renal patients, and their silence on the issue is appalling.
“I don’t see the commitment at all. They’ve closed the unit since May. I didn’t speak on the matter in May, I didn’t speak on the matter in June, did you hear the minister speak about it until some of us came in? Did you hear it become topical until some of us came in?
“Where is the commitment, including the president himself? There’s somebody who is vice president wanting to become president of this country, all he cares about is internal politics and how to become president, he doesn’t care. Hasn’t he heard that people are dying?
“And nobody, absolutely nobody seems to care. We on the minority side are not the holders of the public purse, so what we can do is to hold the executive to account and we’re doing our best under the circumstances.
“If you have an incompetent, insensitive and unconscionable government this is what you go through,” he fumed.
