The Ghana Medical Trust Fund (GMTF) is moving beyond paying the medical bills of patients to confronting some of the deeper structural problems limiting access to specialised healthcare in Ghana.
From new cardiac centres in Kumasi and Tamale to a planned comprehensive cancer facility at Korle Bu and a US$10 million Diagnostic and Imaging Centre at the Greater Accra Regional Hospital, the Trust Fund is pursuing an ambitious strategy to strengthen the country’s capacity to diagnose and treat serious diseases closer to where patients live.
Administrator of the Trust Fund, Adjoa Obuobia Darko-Opoku, says the approach is informed by a nationwide assessment which revealed that financial assistance alone cannot solve the challenges confronting patients with chronic and non-communicable diseases.
The assessment, conducted across teaching, regional and referral hospitals, examined not only shortages within health facilities but also patients’ experiences, distances travelled for treatment, waiting times, specialist shortages and challenges confronting healthcare professionals.
Speaking at an event organised by the State Interests and Governance Authority (SIGA), Mrs Darko-Opoku said the findings have shaped the Fund’s strategy of simultaneously tackling affordability, infrastructure, equipment, specialist shortages and research.
Four Problems, One Strategy
The GMTF’s intervention is built around four interconnected pillars: financial assistance for eligible patients requiring specialised treatment for chronic diseases; investment in medical equipment and infrastructure; specialist training and human-capacity development; and research and innovation in non-communicable diseases.
For the Administrator, the pillars cannot be separated.
“Funding treatment does not help much without the right equipment. Equipment is not useful without trained specialists, and ongoing care needs research to help us learn and improve,” she said.
That philosophy is increasingly shaping the Trust Fund’s investments across the country.
Taking Specialist Heart Care Beyond Accra
Following the fire at the National Cardiothoracic Centre at Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, the Trust Fund supported the rebuilding and expansion of the cardiac catheterisation laboratory.
But the intervention is not ending at Korle Bu.
Construction is underway on new cardiac catheterisation centres at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital and Tamale Teaching Hospital, which the Trust Fund expects to fully equip, commission and bring into operation by the end of the year.
The expansion could significantly improve geographical access to specialised cardiac services and reduce the burden on patients who currently have to travel long distances for treatment.
Big Cancer-Care Ambition for Korle Bu
At Korle Bu, the Fund is pursuing another major intervention; a comprehensive Oncology and Nuclear Medicine Centre to be developed with private investors.
Plans for the facility include a PET-CT scanner, linear accelerator machines, MRI and CT scanners and a chemotherapy suite.
The objective is to establish an integrated cancer-care pathway within the public health system, bringing diagnosis, advanced imaging, treatment and nuclear medicine together.
US$10m Diagnostic Centre for Ridge
The Greater Accra Regional Hospital is also set for a major boost after the Fund identified a significant deficit in advanced diagnostic and imaging services at the facility, which attends to about 800 patients daily.
Following engagement with Corporate Ghana, KGL Group committed US$10 million towards the establishment of a purpose-built Diagnostic and Imaging Centre.
The proposed facility will bring advanced diagnostic services under one roof, including MRI, CT scan, mammography, digital X-ray and fluoroscopy.
According to the Administrator, the site has already been secured and preparatory processes are underway for implementation.
No More ‘Buy, Install and Abandon’
Significantly, Ms Darko-Opoku said the Fund intends to confront another persistent challenge associated with public medical infrastructure; the maintenance of expensive equipment after installation.
GMTF’s responsibility, she said, will not end with procurement.
The equipment and infrastructure being provided will remain under the Trust Fund’s care, backed by deliberate systems for management, servicing and maintenance to ensure that today’s investments remain functional for years.
The Fund is also directing donated medical equipment to hospitals based on evidence gathered through its nationwide needs assessment rather than distributing equipment without regard to actual need.
Bringing Specialists Closer to Patients
Infrastructure alone, however, will not solve the problem.
The assessment also exposed shortages of specialists, which force many patients with chronic diseases to travel outside their regions for advanced treatment.
GMTF has consequently partnered with professional colleges to invest in specialist training, with an ambition to ensure every region has at least ten specialists within the next few years.
The Fund is complementing this with research and innovation, using data from patient care, disease trends, hospital needs and outcomes to guide future interventions.
Over 500 Patients Already Onboarded
Even as it builds long-term healthcare capacity, GMTF continues its direct patient-support mandate.
After piloting its processes with 50 patients drawn from across the country, the Fund developed GMTF Care, a digital platform for patient registration, case management, approvals, claims and payments.
More than 500 patients have so far been onboarded onto the platform.
Ms. Darko-Opoku credited President John Dramani Mahama, Vice President Prof. Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang, government appointees, the Health Ministry, National Health Insurance Authority and the Fund’s Board of Trustees for supporting the institution’s development.
She said the personal financial contributions from the President, Vice President and government appointees provided critical seed funding that enabled the Fund to begin supporting patients.
Corporate Ghana is also increasingly joining the effort.
The Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) is procuring a 64-slice CT scanner and mammography machine, while the Ghana Gold Board has pledged an MRI machine for the Fund.
Ms Darko-Opoku appealed for more partnerships from state-owned enterprises, private companies, development partners and other institutions.
For her, the success of the Ghana Medical Trust Fund will ultimately not be measured by the number of projects announced or meetings held.
The real test, she said, is whether a Ghanaian diagnosed with a non-communicable disease can obtain affordable treatment, access the right equipment and find the specialist they need without being left behind.
“It is about whether a Ghanaian with a non-communicable disease can get the care they need without feeling left behind. It is about having the right equipment, the right specialist nearby, and affordable treatment,” she said.
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