President John Dramani Mahama has today committed six months of his salary to the newly launched Ghana Medical Trust Fund, popularly called Mahama Cares, at a ceremony held at the University of Ghana Medical Centre (UGMC).
The initiative aims to provide critical financial support for patients battling chronic illnesses such as cancer, kidney failure, and cardiovascular diseases, which often fall outside the coverage of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS).
President Mahama directly appealed to businesses, mining firms, and financial institutions to allocate portions of their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) budgets to the fund.
He said “I want to encourage corporate Ghana, businesses, the mines, the banks, and all the other companies, that this Ghana Medical Trust Fund, is coming to your clients who save their monies in your banks or do business with you. Some of them are even your own staff”
“So, as part of your Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), if you give anything, consider that you are giving to your own staff or customers. So, I would like to encourage all corporations in Ghana, both private and public, to at the end of the year, donate some portion of their annual CSR to Ghana Medical Fund because it is going to do a lot of good to the country,”he indicated.
The launch saw notable contributions, including GH¢500,000 from businessman Alhaji Seidu Agongo and a three-month salary pledge from Health Minister Kwabena Mintah Akandoh.
Akandoh described the initiative as a “long-overdue measure to ensure healthcare equity” and confirmed a draft bill for the fund’s governance framework is ready for parliamentary review
He emphasized “The draft bill for the Mahama Care is ready and will be submitted immediately Parliament resumes”.
The Health Minister also disclosed the removal of NHIS funding caps, enabling dedicated allocations to the Mahama Cares program.
“The uncapping of the capping of the national health insurance firm has been removed. This move has unlocked substantial resources to ensure that a dedicated allocation of funds will now support the Mahama Care Programme.”
Source : www.kumasimail.com /Kwadwo Owusu
