About 5 Million Ghanaians Suffering From Kidney Diseases – Korle-Bu CEO

The Chief Executive Officer of the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, Dr Opoku Ware Ampomah, has expressed concern about the alarming rise in kidney-related diseases, disclosing that 17% of the Ghanaian population is suffering from kidney problems.

According to him, about 700 kidney patients recorded in their registry were in need of constant dialysis treatment.

In an interview on The Point of View, on Citi TV, Dr Ampomah highlighted the importance of early diagnosis and lifestyle modifications, which he said can help kidney patients survive for a longer period.

“In the whole country, the last time the registry was done, we realized that there were about 700 patients who needed renal dialysis consistently around the country. About 17% of the population have kidney problems. This is quite a large number. The average around the African continent is about 15%, but in Ghana, it is around 17%. So we have 5 million of our population who have some form of kidney challenge. But then, out of that number, if it’s diagnosed early, most of them can be able to survive on lifestyle modifications. Early diagnosis is very important, so screening is very important.”