In a significant move to address the financial burden of treating chronic diseases, the Ministry of Health has officially launched the Ghana Medical Care Trust Fund, popularly known as MahamaCares.
The initiative, the brainchild of President John Dramani Mahama, is aimed at providing dedicated financial support to individuals suffering from chronic and debilitating illnesses.
The MahamaCares initiative is designed to ensure fairness in healthcare access, particularly for those facing financial barriers to treatment.
Speaking at the launching, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, Minister of Health, said while the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) has improved medical coverage, it does not completely ease the financial burden of treating chronic diseases.
Mintah Akandoh emphasized that the Ghana Medical Trust Fund is a bold response to this challenge.
“Its purpose is clear: no Ghanaian should choose between their health and financial ruin,” he stated.
The nine-member taskforce, chaired by Rev. Prof. Emeritus Seth Aryeetey, former Provost of College of Health Sciences, University of Ghana has been tasked with developing a strong policy and legal framework to establish MahamaCares as a statutory entity.
The team will also design a sustainable funding model, set clear eligibility and disbursement criteria, and evaluate Ghana’s healthcare infrastructure to recommend improvements for better accessibility.
Other members of the taskforce include notable experts in the healthcare and finance sectors, such as Prof. Emeritus Binka, Prof. Margaret Kweku, Dr. Alfred Doku, and Dr. Radolph Nsor-Ambala, among others.
