Humans behind kidney failure stories: This carpenter pays GH¢500 per session for dialysis

A little over two months ago, Stephen Okine, a carpenter, received the devastating diagnosis on the condition of his health – one that has completely turned his life around.

Today, he moves in and out of the dialysis center at the Greater Accra Regional Hospital (Ridge Hospital) twice a week, paying GH¢500 per session.

This situation, which he describes as a very difficult one for him, has become so concerning he explains how his children have been forced to stay at home so he can use the little monies they have to sustain his health.

Speaking with Ghanaweb’s Etsey Atisu while undergoing one of his dialysis sessions at the Ridge Hospital, Stephen said he has had to expend so much money – monies he does not even have.

“It’s been two months now… the things started like malaria. I was vomiting a lot so I went to the Mamprobi Polyclinic and that was where I was diagnosed with kidney failure.

"They referred me to Korle-Bu and it was at Korle-Bu that I was admitted and then they asked me to do a line in my body.

“It was not small money and after I did the line, I was placed on dialysis. After that, another line was opened around my neck. In fact, it has been very difficult.

“I come for the dialysis two times every week and I pay GH¢500 for each session, that is GH¢1000, so if you don’t have money, you will die,” he said, struggling most of the time to speak and keep his thoughts together.

Stephen Okine is also concerned about the future of being on dialysis with the expensive nature of the sessions.

He explained further that he has been forced to choose his health over the education of his children, but he is hopeful that some help can come through for him and other such patients soon.

“I am a carpenter… and it is little by little that I am able to go through this.

“I am pleading that people come to help us. If we can get some financial support to help with the cost of the dialysis, we will be very happy because we have children at home and with this GH¢500, we need to feed them, at the same time we don’t want to die, so we manage it.

“The children are therefore not able to go to school,” he added.

Stephen Okine was glad to hear that GhanaWeb has started a campaign to get the Parliament of Ghana to pass a legislation on organ donations in the country, adding that it would be one of the best things to happen in the country.

The campaign by GhanaWeb, Ghana’s leading digital news platform, in conjunction with the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, is geared towards ensuring that parliament passes a comprehensive legislation to guide organ harvesting, organ donation, and organ transplantation in the country.



Ghana’s leading digital news platform, GhanaWeb, in conjunction with the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, is embarking on an aggressive campaign which is geared towards ensuring that parliament passes comprehensive legislation to guide organ harvesting, organ donation, and organ transplantation in the country.

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