Ghana Medical Trust Fund must not be used to create, loot and share — Asogli state warns

The Asogli State has described the Ghana Medical Trust Fund (GMTF), popularly known as Mahama Cares, as a laudable initiative with the potential to bridge gaps in the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) and improve access to specialised healthcare for Ghanaians.

Togbe Kasa III, who spoke on behalf of the Agbogbomefia of the Asogli State, said the Fund offered hope to people who struggled to afford essential medical treatment and called for its resources to be managed transparently and responsibly.

“The Fund should not be created for people to go and loot and share, but to take care of the healthcare needs of the population,” he cautioned.

He made the remarks when the Administrator of the GMTF, Adjoa Obuobia Darko-Opoku, paid a courtesy call on the chiefs of the Asogli State as part of the Fund’s Volta Regional sensitisation tour.

Togbe Kasa III commended the Administrator and her team for engaging traditional authorities in efforts to educate the public about the Fund’s mandate, describing such engagements as critical to building public awareness and support.

He expressed optimism that the Fund would complement the NHIS by helping to address gaps in access to specialised medical services, particularly for patients whose financial circumstances made treatment difficult to afford.

He said the Fund’s success should ultimately be measured by its ability to improve access to treatment and ease the financial burden on families confronted with serious medical conditions.

Administrator calls for wider public education

In her remarks, the Administrator thanked the chiefs for receiving her delegation and underscored the importance of extending public education on the Fund’s mandate to communities across the country.

She explained that the sensitisation exercise was aimed at ensuring that more Ghanaians understood the purpose of the Fund, the support it offered and how eligible patients could access its interventions.

Ms. Darko-Opoku said it was important for the Fund to move beyond engagements with institutions and take its message directly to communities, particularly people who might not be aware of the specialised healthcare support available to them.

She said collaboration with traditional authorities and other community leaders was essential to expanding the Fund’s reach and ensuring that accurate information reached those who needed it most.

The courtesy call forms part of the GMTF’s Volta Regional sensitisation tour, which seeks to strengthen stakeholder collaboration and raise public awareness of the Fund’s interventions.

Established to support the prevention and treatment of non-communicable diseases, the GMTF also seeks to improve access to specialised medical care and strengthen the training of specialist health professionals.

Through its regional engagements, the Fund aims to deepen public understanding of its mandate and ensure that eligible patients are better informed about the support availa