The Minister of Health, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, has announced the government’s plan to bridge healthcare financing gaps by introducing the Ghana Medical Care Trust Fund (Mahama Cares).

This initiative aims to ensure fairness in healthcare financing, eliminate disparities in treatment access, and ultimately improve Ghanaians’ well-being.

The Ghana Medical Care Trust Fund will provide financial support to individuals battling chronic and life-threatening illnesses, ensuring that financial constraints no longer hinder access to quality healthcare.

Speaking at the launch of the Nine-Member Operationalization Taskforce for the Ghana Medical Care Trust Fund on Wednesday, March 12, the Health Minister emphasized the fund’s role in addressing the high cost of specialized treatment. 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
-Dr. Anthony Gigong – Representative, NHIA
-Dr. Anthony Seddoh – Health Policy and Finance Expert
-Dr. Belinda Afriyie Nimako – Acting Director, PPME, Ministry of Health
-Representative from the Attorney General’s Department

Speaking to Citi News, the Chairman of the Operationalization Taskforce assured stakeholders that the team would work expeditiously to meet its terms of reference within the stipulated timeframe.

“We will be looking at the legal framework, we will look at infrastructure.”