The Ghana Medical Trust Fund (GMTF) has concluded that “the cost of inaction will be catastrophic,” following a needs assessment tour of all teaching and regional hospitals across the country.
Head of the GMTF, Adjoa Obuobia Darko-Opoku and her team have for the past weeks touched base with these facilities for firsthand information on the current state of medical equipment, ahead of the official roll-out of the Ghana Medical Trust Fund.
The Fund, an initiative of President John Dramani Mahama, is to provide financial support for Ghanaians with serious, costly chronic illnesses, like cancer, kidney failure, and heart disease, not fully covered by the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS).
The Fund aims to bridge gaps in specialised care, enhance health infrastructure, and prevent families from falling into poverty due to treatment costs.
According to the GMTF boss, revelations from a past tour, paints a dire picture of Ghana’s health sector which could trigger a possible doom because of lack or broken-down of essential equipment needed to save lives.
Citing an example, Adjoa Obuobia Darko-Opoku said the Greater Accra Regional Hospital [Ridge Hospital] which caters for approximately one thousand patients a day does not have CT scanners, MRI machine, mammography machine and fluoroscopy units.
According to her, “these are fundamental tools required for timely and accurate diagnosis of non-communicable diseases, trauma cases, obstetric emergencies, and complex medical conditions.”
In the Western Region, Madam Darko-Opoku noted that the Effia Nkwanta Regional Hospital, the pride of the West, cannot boast of a functional CT scan, MRI machine, or even reliable ventilators.
At the Cape Coast Teaching Hospital, she said “I’m afraid to tell you the story is not different. They also cannot boast of an MRI, no functional mammogram, no radiotherapy machines. The system is stretched. The patients are desperate. The doctors are doing their best, but they cannot do magic.”
In the Northern Region, the Tamale Teaching Hospital which is the only tertiary referral facility serving all the five regions in the north, as well as part of Bono East and Oti regions, “the hospital’s MRI has been non-functional for a decade, the 64-slice CT scan is currently down, leaving only a 16-slice machine in limited operation at the Accident and Emergency unit. There is also no mammogram or fluoroscopy machine,” the Ghana Medical Trust Fund boss, added.
In a meeting with the KGL Group on Thursday, December 11, to seek support, Adjoa Obuobia Darko-Opoku said these challenges cut across in almost all the hospitals visited. According to her, these are but just a few of the near-crisis the health facilities are finding themselves.
She has therefore made a passionate appeal to the CEO of the KGL Group, Alex Dadey to partner the Ghana Medical Trust Fund and support the fund in purchasing some of the essential equipment for these health facilities.
This engagement builds on earlier conversations, moving the two entities closer to a structured, long-term collaboration aimed at easing the growing burden of Non-Communicable Diseases in Ghana.
The KGL CEO expressed deep commitment to supporting the Trust Fund as it prepares to expand support for patients, strengthen specialist training, invest in critical health infrastructure, and advance Ghana’s journey toward equitable access to care.
Mr. Dadey reaffirmed their readiness to take bold, meaningful, and actionable steps that align with the Ghana Medical Trust Fund’s priority projects.
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