DEG supports new dialysis centre in Ghana

Ghana is one of the developing countries that has been posting stable economic growth for years; in 2018 it was around six percent. Healthcare in the West African country is nevertheless still inadequate. This is all the more so for diseases that require complex specialised treatments. For example, there are not enough dialysis machines available for people with renal insufficiency.

Financing for biomedical company Engisys

The first private dialysis centre in the country is opened today in the capital Accra with the support of DEG – Deutsche Investitions- und Entwicklungsgesellschaft mbH. The centre is operated by the Ghanaian company Engisys Limited. Access Bank, DEG's partner bank at the German Desk Ghana, provides the company with a loan of EUR 200,000. DEG also contributes around EUR 100,000 from funds provided by the develoPPP.de programme run by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), while Engisys invests a further EUR 150,000. These funds will be used also for training the specialist medical staff.

23,000 treatments per year for chronically ill people

In the dialysis centre, 200 patients can have the vital dialysis performed up to three times a week. Total capacity is sufficient for 23,000 treatments per year. Some are reserved for people who are unable to pay for the treatment themselves, or only partially. 13 dialysis stations are already available for patients, with a total of 22 stations planned.

B. Braun Avitum from the German town of Melsungen in Hesse is supplying a major part of the technical equipment. Ten highly qualified jobs will be created in the new centre. In addition, 30 medical professionals will be trained locally and in Germany at B. Braun Avitum in cooperation with the University of Ghana and a local hospital.

German Desk Ghana acting as coordinator

"In close cooperation with the German Desk partner Access Bank and the develoPPP.de programme, an attractive offer was made to the biomedical company Engisys. At the same time, we are supporting our customer B. Braun in opening up further markets," says Klaus Helsper, head of DEG's German Business department on the occasion of the opening of the centre.

Nana Yaw Appiah, Managing Director of Engisys, comments: "I'm delighted to have found a partner like DEG whose proposal extends beyond pure financing. The training of qualified personnel in cooperation with B. Braun helps to improve the quality of care for dialysis patients over the long term, in the region and in Ghana as a whole."

DEG's "German Desk – Financial Support and Solutions" service is aimed at medium-sized German companies and their local trading partners. So far there are a total of six locations, three of them in Africa. The German Desk offers customers not only practical assistance, such as opening an account, but also financing solutions tailored to their needs. DEG's cooperation partners in the initiative are a local partner bank and the local delegation of German industry.