By Godfred Aaneamenga Polkuu
Bolgatanga, Oct. 23, GNA – The Ghana Medical Trust Fund (GMTF) has outlined four strategic pillars to improve access to specialized healthcare in Ghana, combining financial assistance for eligible patients with investments in health infrastructure, specialist training, and research.
The pillars are financial support for patients requiring specialized treatment for chronic non-communicable diseases, medical equipment and infrastructure development, specialist training and human capacity development, and research and innovation.
Madam Adjoa Obuobia Darko-Opoku, the Administrator of the Fund announced this at a stakeholder engagement and town hall meeting in Bolgatanga, as part of efforts to explain the Fund’s mandate and engage stakeholders on challenges affecting access to specialized medical care.
He said the four pillars were designed to address both the immediate financial difficulties faced by patients and the broader health system gaps that affected the availability and quality of treatment, “Our responsibility is to give practical meaning to that vision through the patients we support, the facilities we help strengthen and the confidence people can place in our processes,” the Administrator added.
Madam Darko-Opoku explained that the Fund’s nationwide needs assessment had revealed gaps in medical equipment, health infrastructure and specialist expertise, reinforcing the need to combine patient support with investments in healthcare delivery.
“Helping a patient pay for treatment must go hand in hand with strengthening the capacity to provide it,” the Administrator stated.
She said an initial pilot involving 50 patients across the country had helped the Fund test its processes through actual treatment journeys, and that the Fund had also worked with specialists and partner institutions on its medicines list and tariff manual, while continuing to strengthen its operational systems.
Among its infrastructure interventions, the Administrator cited the restoration of the cardiac catheterization laboratory at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, support for dialysis and other critical equipment needs, and ongoing efforts to expand cardiovascular care at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital and Tamale Teaching Hospital.
The Administrator said the expansion of specialized services in Tamale was particularly important for patients from northern Ghana, including those referred from the Upper East Region.
The Administrator, however, noted that effective specialized healthcare depended on the entire referral pathway, from the facility that first attended to a patient to the specialists providing treatment and the teams responsible for follow-up care.
Health professionals were therefore urged to share their experiences and identify delays and barriers that could be addressed to improve access to timely and appropriate treatment.
Madam Darko-Opoku called on community leaders, health professionals and the media to educate the public on the Fund’s eligibility requirements and application procedures to ensure that those who qualified could access assistance.
The Administrator said the Fund would continue to learn from its engagements, welcome feedback and strengthen accountability to ensure that resources were used fairly and responsibly to improve patient outcomes.
Mr Donatus Akamugri Atanga, the Upper East Regional Minister, said the engagement provided an important opportunity to deepen public understanding of the Fund, clarify access requirements and strengthen collaboration to ensure that eligible persons benefited from its support.
He described the Fund, popularly known as MahamaCares, as a flagship initiative introduced by President John Dramani Mahama to help address financial barriers to specialized medical care for people living with chronic diseases, and said the initiative was intended to complement existing healthcare financing arrangements and improve access to essential treatment for eligible patients.
The Minister stressed, however, that establishing the Fund was only the beginning, noting that its impact would depend on whether eligible persons knew about it, understood the application process and ultimately received the assistance they needed.
Mr Atanga further called for stronger collaboration among the GMTF, Ghana Health Service, National Health Insurance Authority, health facilities and local government authorities to improve public awareness, facilitate access and strengthen accountability.
“As Regional Minister, my concern is simple: national health interventions must translate into tangible and measurable benefits for the people of the Upper East Region,” Mr Atanga stated.
He urged stakeholders to identify existing gaps and propose practical solutions, while encouraging the Fund’s leadership to consider recommendations from the engagement and ensure appropriate follow-up action.
Mr Mark Kurt Nawaane, Chairman of Parliament’s Select Committee on Health, said the Committee and the Upper East Parliamentary Caucus was “solidly behind” the Fund, and called on stakeholders in the region to support the Fund to succeed.
GNA
Edited by Caesar Abagali/Kenneth Odeng Adade
Reporter: Godfred Aaneamenga Polkuu
Reporter’s email: [email protected]