The Administrator of the Ghana Medical Trust Fund (GMTF), Adjoa Obuobia Darko-Opoku, has assured Ghanaians that no region will be left out of the Fund’s ongoing 50-case pilot programme.
Ahead of its official rollout in April, the GMTF is currently sponsoring the treatment of 50 complex cases drawn from across the country.
At the National Cardiothoracic Centre, the Fund has already paid for life-saving surgeries for eight patients battling various heart conditions. In addition, four patients from the Central, Northern and Greater Accra regions have received financial support for neurological and cancer treatment at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital.
At the University of Ghana Medical Centre, Ho Teaching Hospital, Tamale Teaching, Euracare Spring Hospital and the International Maritime Hospital, there are patients there receiving treatment through the sponsorship of the Ghana Medical Trust Fund as part of their pilot phase.
On Thursday morning, the Administrator and her team visited the Effia Nkwanta Regional Hospital, where they presented a cheque for GH¢82,550 as full payment for surgeries and chemotherapy for four patients referred to the facility.
The beneficiaries include a 44-year-old breast cancer patient scheduled for surgery, chemotherapy and supportive care, as well as a 70-year-old woman battling the same condition with an identical treatment plan. Also covered are a 13-year-old girl diagnosed with ameloblastoma and a 17-year-old young woman living with chronic kidney disease, whose full medical bills have been settled to enable treatment to begin immediately.
Presenting the cheque, Ms. Darko-Opoku said the establishment of the Ghana Medical Trust Fund by President John Dramani Mahama was driven by the desire to give vulnerable patients a renewed chance at life.
“This Fund has come to stay, and many Ghanaians will benefit. No Ghanaian should be denied medical care because of cost. The President was clear about this vision, and that is why he established the Ghana Medical Trust Fund,” she stated.
She pledged her personal commitment to ensuring that the Fund grows into a lasting national asset that brings hope and healing to all Ghanaians.
With the latest support, the number of beneficiaries under the ongoing pilot programme has now increased to 30 out of the targeted 50 cases.
Ms. Darko-Opoku also announced plans to sponsor the training of 100 specialist nurses and 100 medical specialists from across the country, noting that nurses and pharmacists from the Effiakwanta Regional Hospital would be among the beneficiaries.
Receiving the donation on behalf of the hospital, the Medical Director, Dr. Habib Ahmed, expressed profound gratitude to the Ghana Medical Trust Fund, describing its interventions as phenomenal.
He said the lives already being touched by the Fund’s work demonstrate why all Ghanaians must rally behind the initiative.
Before returning to Accra, the GMTF Administrator took time to visit patients currently on admission, personally assuring them of the Fund’s full and unwavering support.