The Member of Parliament for Kwadaso, Prof. Kingsley Nyarko, has described the Ghana Medical Trust Fund Bill, 2025 (also known as the ‘Mahama Cares’ Programme) as ‘needless’ and ‘unnecessary.’
His remarks follow Parliament’s passage of the bill, which seeks to establish a dedicated fund to provide specialised medical care for chronic conditions such as cancer, stroke, kidney failure, and diabetes.
In an interview on Channel One Newsroom on Tuesday, July 22, he argued that the objectives of the bill could have been achieved by amending the existing National Health Insurance Act rather than creating an entirely new fund.
“For me, I think it is completely needless and unnecessary because we have the National Health Insurance Scheme. This bill seeks to provide medical support to persons who have non-communicable diseases, largely.
“But the current Health Insurance Act could be amended to cater for this ailment. Simple. You do not need a sacred intervention to achieve that,” he stated.
According to him, the move is less about healthcare and more about political branding, suggesting that the government is merely attempting to create a legacy for President John Dramani Mahama.
The Ghana Medical Trust Fund is set to provide crucial financial relief for patients by subsidising or fully covering the costs of high-end medical procedures, drugs, and surgeries that are often inaccessible to the average Ghanaian.
To qualify for support under the Ghana Medical Trust Fund, a beneficiary must be a Ghanaian citizen enrolled under the National Health Insurance Scheme and diagnosed with a chronic illness.
Applications must be submitted through a specialist medical practitioner using the prescribed form. The Fund is required to process applications within 14 days, either granting written approval or providing a formal explanation for any refusal.
However, during the debate on the Health Committee’s report on the bill on Monday, July 21, the Minority Caucus raised concerns over the decision to allocate 20 per cent of funds from the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) to finance the operations of the Trust Fund.
They argued that diverting NHIS resources in this manner could severely undermine its sustainability and cripple its ability to deliver essential health services.
