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At least, forty children die of terminal kidney diseases every year at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital.
Averagely, 220 cases are reported at the facility for the period. Paediatric Nephrologist at the hospital, Professor Sampson Antwi, says late reporting accounts for the high death rate from the disease.

He says,” we haven’t highlighted or given the significant that it needs because people haven’t recognised that it actually exist, some even think that children don’t get kidney disease”. He is worried children are getting terminal kidney disease and dying because of high cost of treatment involved. “Ghana hasn’t developed to a stage that we can offer that for children and afford that because it is very expensive.”

In the last three years, the hospital has recorded over 664 kidney cases in their primary and secondary stages.
“What makes us sad in the hospital is that, as I speak to you, I have six patients in my ward. Most of them are manifesting the kidney disease for the first time but when we do the investigation we see that it is terminal,” says Professor Antwi.

Proffessor Antwi observes many parents are mostly unaware their children are infected, a situation he describes as worrying.“What it means is that over the years, they harbour the kidney disease and nobody knew. We need to consider that children also get it so we need to give it the needed support.”

Professor Sampson Antwi advised parents to regularly screen their children for early detection and treatment.
He warns, “When a child gets sore throat or skin infections, those conditions two to three weeks later can affect the kidney. It manifests with swelling around the face.” The KNUST School of Medical Sciences, as part of its 40th anniversary celebrations undertook kidney screening for about thousand pupils of the University Basic School.
Dean of the school, Professor Yaw Adu Sarkodie, says the initiative will subsequently be extended to other schools especially in the university catchment area.