By Ewoenam Kpodo
Ho, Oct. 14, GNA – Dr Emmanuel Atsu Dodor, Volta Regional Director of Health Services, has described the Ghana Medical Trust Fund (GMTF) as a renewed opportunity to improve access to specialised treatment and protect financially vulnerable patients.
He said the Fund presented a strategic opportunity to expand advanced healthcare services in the Volta Region.
Dr Dodor noted that by strengthening specialist capacity, diagnostic services and referral systems, the Fund would help reduce patients’ travel costs and improve access to quality healthcare.
His remarks were contained in a speech read on his behalf at a regional stakeholder engagement on the Ghana Medical Trust Fund (GMTF), popularly known as “Mahama Cares,” in Ho.
Dr Dodor said many patients delayed life-saving treatment for cancer and other specialised conditions until their illnesses worsened, with some losing their lives, not because treatment was unavailable but because it was beyond their financial means.
He stressed that achieving the objectives of the Fund would require effective collaboration among the Ministry of Health, the GMTF Secretariat, the Ghana Health Service, the National Health Insurance Authority, regulatory agencies and other key stakeholders.
Dr Dodor affirmed the Directorate’s readiness to provide leadership, institutional collaboration and technical support to ensure that the Fund’s mission translated into measurable health outcomes.
Dr Hintermann Mbroh, Chief Executive Officer of the Ho Teaching Hospital, announced that the facility had enrolled 35 patients under the Fund within the past five months, providing care worth nearly GH¢2.7 million.
He said the average cost of treatment per patient was about GH¢90,000.
Dr Mbroh explained that the programme had been integrated into the hospital’s electronic medical records system to facilitate patient registration, documentation and continuity of care.
He said all staff involved in managing non-communicable diseases covered under the Fund had received the necessary training.
The Chief Executive Officer said the hospital’s Patient Welfare Unit was fully staffed and working closely with a representative of the Fund seconded to the facility to support patient screening, enrolment, referrals and follow-up care.
Dr Mbroh also expressed appreciation for the sponsorship of five staff members to undertake postgraduate certificate training in specialised areas related to non-communicable diseases.
He said the investment would significantly strengthen the hospital’s capacity to deliver specialised healthcare services.
Dr Norbert Kipo, Health Policy Advisor at GMTF, made a presentation on the mandate of the Fund and the procedures for accessing support.
He described the vision of the Fund as building a healthier society in which every citizen had access to specialist medical care for the management of non-communicable diseases.
GNA
Edited by Maxwell Awumah/Bertha Badu-Agyei/ Lydia Kukua Asamoah
Reporter: Ewoenam Kpodo