Member of Parliament for Ododiodoo Constituency, who doubles as Chairman of the Mahama Care Fundraising Committee, has made a direct appeal for financial support to expand the Ghana Medical Trust Fund and make treatment for non-communicable diseases accessible to all Ghanaians.
The Chairman said Mahama Care is now operational and reflects the President’s commitment to ensure that every person living with chronic conditions, such as cardiac illnesses, receives care.
He noted that the initiative has moved from policy to implementation and is ready to assist patients.
The MP explained that the high cost of treatment remains the biggest barrier.
“It comes quite expensive at certain times, depending on the kind of ailment, because of the kind of equipment that is required to do your scans, to identify exactly what is happening to you and at what stage it is,” the Odododiodoo legislator stated.
To coordinate the programme, the Fund has successfully established its Secretariat.
The Chairman commended Madam Obobia Dakwah, describing her as “a very wonderful lady who is doing extremely well” in setting up the administration to manage the Trust Fund.
As Chairman of the Fundraising Committee, he confirmed that a nationwide assessment of health facilities has been completed.
The exercise identified all health facilities in the country, reviewed their equipment, and outlined what is needed for them to qualify under Mahama Care.
With the base structure in place, the Committee has begun engagements to mobilize resources. “After having done this assessment, we have gone all over the world, from Ghana to the rest of the world, assessing support. Even though there is statutory funding from Parliament to give it a base funding,” the Chairman said.
He appealed to Parliament, development partners, the private sector, and Ghanaians to contribute to the Fund.
According to him, additional support will determine how quickly Mahama Care can roll out treatment and reduce the financial burden on families dealing with non-communicable diseases nationwide.
By Prosper Kwaku Selassy Agbitor
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