President John Dramani Mahama has announced that Cabinet has approved the ‘MahamaCares’ Bill, paving the way for the establishment of the Ghana Medical Trust Fund to support underprivileged patients with chronic health conditions.
The announcement was made after President Mahama received a GHS1,002,000 donation to the fund from security agencies under the Ministry of the Interior. The bill, which will soon be laid before Parliament, forms part of a broader initiative to improve access to specialist-level treatment for life-threatening conditions such as cancer, chronic kidney failure, stroke, and cardiovascular diseases.
“I’m happy to say only yesterday, the Cabinet approved the bill for onward transmission to Parliament,” President Mahama said. “Once Parliament passes it into law, then it opens the way for us to appoint the trustees, and we’re going to appoint independent trustees; people who are distinguished and well-recognised in this country; to administer the fund.”
The President emphasized that the Ghana Medical Trust Fund will be managed independently of the government to ensure transparency and efficiency.
“We’ve made arrangements for funding. The funding will come from the uncapped portion of the National Health Insurance Levy (NHIL). It used to be capped, and so a certain amount used to end up in the Consolidated Fund,” he explained. “The Minister of Finance has given it up, and so the full financing is going to the National Health Insurance Authority. We’ve asked them to reserve a portion of it to fund MahamaCares.”
In addition to the NHIL, the fund will also receive support through direct budgetary allocations, private and corporate donations, and contributions from development partners interested in promoting access to quality healthcare in Ghana.
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According to President Mahama, significant contributions have already been made since the fund’s official launch, including donations from various stakeholder groups present at the event.
The MahamaCares initiative is expected to be a game-changer in providing financial relief and quality healthcare access to Ghanaians living with severe chronic illnesses. Parliament is expected to deliberate on the bill in the coming weeks.
