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The Ghana Medical Trust Fund, nicknamed ‘Mahama Cares Programme’, has been given legal backing after Parliament passed the bill last Tuesday.
The bill, passed under a certificate of urgency, followed the presentation of the report from the Health Committee to the House.
It will be financed by 20 per cent of the total funds from the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF). It will support patients with non-communicable diseases such as cancer, kidney failure, diabetes and the effects of hypertension.
Presenting the report, the Chairman of the Health Committee, Nawaane Kurt Mark, noted that the purpose of the bill is to establish the Ghana Medical Trust Fund to mobilise resources to finance and support the provision of specialised medical care for the treatment of persons with chronic diseases and to provide for the management of the fund.
He added that the government had identified key challenges and gaps in the country's access to specialised medical care. These challenges include the concentration of specialist services in urban areas, limited diagnostic equipment, inadequate data systems and the high cost of treating chronic diseases, often resulting in catastrophic household expenditure.
He highlighted that households with patients suffering from chronic diseases face a risk of falling into poverty within five years of diagnosis.
"The bill, therefore, seeks to provide statutory backing for the Ghana Medical Trust Fund and set out the arrangements for management of the fund," he stated.
The Minister of Health, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, was on hand to suggest proposed clauses to amend the Bill during the consideration stages before its passage.
He said there was nothing wrong with redirecting 20 per cent of the NHIF to support the trust fund.
He further stated that the government had ring-fenced GH¢1.5 billion from the NHIF formula to be used as seed capital for the operationalisation of the Trust Fund.
He said 43 per cent of the mortality in Ghana resulted from NCDs; thus, the operationalisation of Mahamacare would provide some relief to NCD patients and some financial relief to families.
The minister commended corporate organisations and individuals who contributed to the trust fund and urged all well-meaning individuals and organisations to donate to support the fund.
The Member of Parliament for Essikado-Ketan, Professor Grace Ayensu-Danquah, in her submission to support the bill, stated that the Medical Trust Fund legislation was crucial because it aligned with the government’s plans to deliver quality healthcare to patients affected by NCDs.
Prof. Ayensu-Danquah, who is the Deputy Minister of Health designate, said not only was the decision by the government in harmony with the United Nations Universal Health Coverage, but it would also help address the country’s 40 per cent mortality rate, which was caused by chronic diseases and required urgent action to tackle.
While the Minority were not against the bill's passage, they opposed how the government intended to fund the trust, saying the intention to redirect 20 per cent of the NHIF would collapse the health scheme.
The NPP Member of Parliament for Effiduase/ Asokore, Dr Nana Ayew Afriyie, who is also the Ranking Member on the Health Committee of Parliament, urged the government to find more innovative ways to support the trust fund.
“Taking monies from the NHIF implies that the Medical Trust Fund is competing with the National Health Insurance Scheme and this is not sustainable,” Dr Afriyie stated.
