President John Dramani Mahama on Tuesday gave the assurance that government would do everything to support transplantation of kidney throughout the country.
The establishment of Urology Centers , he said was therefore desirable and would also create Centers of Excellence to serve neighbouring countries in the West African sub-region.
President Mahama gave the assurance when a delegation of Medical Experts from the Korle- Bu Teaching Hospital and their colleagues from the Transplant Links Community in the United Kingdom called on him at the Flagstaff House.
In Ghana, kidney failure has become a common ailment and transplanting is the best way of treating it than facing a long term of dialysis, which is expensive and time consuming.
President Mahama said it was regrettable that lifestyles had over the years created a set of non- communicable diseases that were hitherto not regarded in the medical arena of this country.
He promised to redirect the energies of government in supporting some of those Centers to serve Ghana and the entire African neighbourhood .
Ms Sherry Ayitey, Minister for Health said plans were afoot to establish a Urology Centre at the Korle- Bu Teaching Hospital, while feasibility studies were being carried out to establish four other Centers the country.
She said a Medical team was also supporting government to establish a dialysis Centre at the Cape Coast Regional Hospital, while another team from Japan was considering establishing another one at the Tamale Teaching Hospital.
Dr Charlotte Osafo, Head of the Renal Unit of Korle-Bu said the major challenge in Ghana was the establishment of a sustainable Kidney Programme to cater for the health needs of all patients.
She said there was the need for more training for Physicians and Nurses to take up that responsibility to sustain the programme in the country.