The Minister for Health, Hon. Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, today, launched a technical taskforce for the Ghana Medical Care Trust Fund popularly known as the Mahamacares to help operationalised the programme.
The taskforce among other things are to do the follows:
* Developing a robust policy and legal framework to establish MahamaCares as a statutory entity.
* Designing a sustainable funding model to ensure the fund’s viability for generations.
* Establishing clear and transparent eligibility and disbursement criteria to guarantee fairness and efficiency.
* Evaluating current healthcare infrastructure and suggesting improvements to ensure
The Minister in his address emphasized that, access to quality healthcare is not a privilege but a fundamental right. However life-saving treatments remain inaccessible to far too many of our people. Chronic illnesses such as cancer, kidney disease, and heart conditions impose unbearable financial strain on families, that is why the introduction of the Mahamacares is timely and appropriate, he added.
Adding to him, while the National Health Insurance Scheme has been instrumental in providing coverage for a broad spectrum of health needs, it does not comprehensively address the high costs of specialized treatments. Consequently, many individuals are left to struggle, and in far too many cases, they suffer preventable loss of life, is a bold response to this challenge, the Hon Minister added.
He noted that, Mahamacares is clear, no Ghanaian should have to choose between their health and financial ruin.
Hon Kwabena Minitah Akandoh called on government agencies, private sector organizations, civil society, and the international community to support the programme. He said, the success of MahamaCares relies on the collective efforts of all.
Members of the team are:
Rev. Prof. Emeritus Seth Aryeetey; former Provost of the College of Health Sciences, Prof. Emeritus Binka; former Vice Chancellor of the University of Health and Allied Sciences, Prof. Margaret Kweku; a Public Health Consultant, Dr Alfred Doku; Consultant Cardiologist.
Others are: Dr. Radolph Nsor-Ambala; a Financial Expert, Dr Anthony Gingong; representative of the National Health Insurance Trust Fund, Dr. Anthony Seddoh a Health Policy and Financing Expert.
The rest are: Anna Pearl Akiwumi Siriboe; a lawyer and the Attorney General’s representative, Dr Belinda Afriyie; a Public Health Consultant and a Secretary to the Taskforce.
Tony Goodman