The Administrator of the Ghana Medical Trust Fund, Obuobia Darko-Opoku, has appealed to Ghanaians to avoid politicising the Ghana Medical Trust Fund (GMTF), popularly known as Mahama Cares.
According to her, the initiative is focused on supporting people suffering from non-communicable diseases and should be viewed as a national intervention rather than a political programme.
Speaking on Asempa FM Ekosii Sen, Obuobia Darko-Opoku stated that beneficiaries of the fund are not selected based on political affiliation.
“When it comes to GMTF, let’s put politics aside. All the 50 pilot cases, people that have benefited so far were not asked about political affiliation before they were treated,” she said.
She explained that unlike the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), the Ghana Medical Trust Fund focuses specifically on non-communicable diseases and related healthcare challenges.
According to her, the NHIS does not cover areas such as specialised medical equipment, infrastructure, training of specialists, or research into non-communicable diseases.
She stressed that the Ghana Medical Trust Fund is designed to complement the NHIS by stepping in where the insurance scheme’s coverage ends, particularly in chronic health conditions.
“The average person treating a non-communicable disease spends about GH¢56,000 every year, so no matter how much money you have, you may still need help,” she stated.
Madam Obuobia Darko-Opoku urged Ghanaians to learn more about the objectives of the trust fund before criticising it, insisting that sickness does not discriminate based on political colour.
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