Dr Arko Akoto-Ampaw, Medical Director of the Eastern Regional Hospital, has stressed the need for the establishment of a kidney dialysis centre to expand healthcare services at the Regional hospital.

The Medical Director said the dialysis centre would provide access to critical healthcare services to people in the Eastern Region and parts of the Volta Region.

He said although the plan for the centre was factored into the construction of the 600-bed New Regional Hospital in Koforidua, the need for such a centre was relevant now with the covid-19 pandemic, which aggravated the situation of people with renal conditions.

Dr Akoto-Ampaw made this known at a meeting with the Indian High Commissioner to Ghana, Mr Sugandh Rajaram, who visited the hospital as part of his five-day working tour of the Eastern Region.

The visit was to enable the High Commissioner to look for business opportunities worthy of investment by the Indian community at the Regional level.

The Medical Director said the management of the hospital had taken steps to partner some private entities for the setting up of the dialysis centre and expressed the hope that India with its credible pace in the medical industry would support the hospital in that direction.

On covid-19 arrangement, he said the physiotherapy unit was converted into a holding centre while the mental unit of the hospital was turned into a 13-bed treatment centre.

Dr Akoto-Ampaw appealed to the public to keep to the prevention protocols because covid was real.

The Indian High Commissioner to Ghana, on his part, indicated that India had the technological capacity and medical equipment and assured the hospital of its partnership in improving upon their quality of service delivery.

He said the idea to have a dialysis centre at the Regional hospital was a good initiative and reiterated India's preparedness to support Ghana to strengthen its healthcare delivery system for the benefit of the people in line with the bilateral relationship between the two countries.

The 429-bed capacity Eastern Regional hospital has been in existence for about 100 years and is the referral hospital in the Region which serves parts of the Volta and Ashanti Regions, with daily OPD attendance of about 700.