The Ghana Medical Care Trust Fund (Mahama Cares) is the government’s strategy to close gaps in healthcare funding, according to Health Minister Kwabena Mintah Akandoh.
The ultimate goal of this effort is to enhance the well-being of Ghanaians by ensuring equity in healthcare financing and eradicating inequalities in treatment access.
In order to ensure that access to high-quality healthcare is no longer hampered by financial limitations, the Ghana Medical Care Trust Fund will offer financial assistance to people dealing with chronic and life-threatening illnesses.
The Ghana Medical Care Trust Fund’s importance in tackling the high cost of specialized treatment was highlighted by the Health Minister during the introduction of the nine-member operationalization taskforce on Wednesday, March 12.
He reiterated that the initiative is designed to promote equity in healthcare access and enhance the country’s overall health outcomes.
“We promised to launch the Mahama Cares to take care of chronic diseases in this country. It was borne out of the fact that the mortality with respect to chronic diseases is very high, and before you will be able to operationalise such a fund, you need to go through a whole lot of processes.
“So, we needed a task force in place to present that road map. We should be able to consolidate all inputs. They are going to be at the center of affairs.”
The Operationalization Taskforce has up to the 15th of April to report its findings back to the Ministry for the full rollout of the programme. The team is composed of experts from various fields, including healthcare, finance, and policy. The members of the Taskforce include:
-Rev. Prof. Emeritus Seth Aryeetey – Former Provost, College of Health Sciences (Chairman)
-Prof. Emeritus F. Binka – Former Vice-Chancellor, UHAS
-Prof. Margaret Kweku – Public Health Consultant
-Dr. Alfred Doku – Consultant Cardiologist
-Dr. Randolph Nsor-Ambala – Finance Expert
Also:
-Dr. Anthony Gigong – Representative, NHIA
-Dr. Anthony Seddoh – Health Policy and Finance Expert
And:
-Dr. Belinda Afriyie Nimako – Acting Director, PPME, Ministry of Health
-Representative from the Attorney General’s Department
