President John Dramani Mahama has followed through on a key personal pledge made at the launch of the Ghana Medical Trust Fund, donating six months of his salary to the initiative. This act has been matched by government appointees, who contributed one month of their salaries, resulting in a combined total of GH¢6,102,637.80 being officially presented to the Fund.
The formal presentation took place on Monday at Jubilee House, where the Deputy Chief of Staff (Administration), Nana Oye Bampoe Addo, handed over the funds on behalf of the Office of the President. The Controller and Accountant-General has already transferred the full amount to the Trust.
The contribution also includes deductions from officials who failed to meet the asset declaration deadline, with the President having ordered those appointees to forfeit three months’ salary to the Fund. Collections are not yet finished, as appointees who missed the asset declaration deadline remain subject to further deductions, with those proceeds also going to the fund.
“Real Sacrifices” for a Life-Saving Cause
Receiving the donation, Administrator of the Ghana Medical Trust Fund, Adjoa Obuobia Darko-Opoku, expressed profound appreciation. She noted that the Fund is currently in a pilot phase to ensure long-term financial sustainability and to understand the operational and financial demands of treating non-communicable diseases.
During the handover, Nana Oye Bampoe Addo emphasized the personal cost of the donations. “These salary donations came with real sacrifices. Bills that had to wait. Plans that had to be deferred. Commitments that had to be renegotiated. We knew the cost, and we paid it anyway,” she stated.
She highlighted the Fund’s immediate impact, sharing a powerful testimony of a beneficiary identified as Ms. Kobba. “The President has turned tears of sadness into tears of joy and gratitude and has saved a life,” she said.
A Landmark Initiative to Plug a Critical Healthcare Gap
President Mahama officially launched the MahamaCares initiative on April 29, 2025, at the University of Ghana Medical Centre to confront the growing burden of chronic diseases and plug a gap in the nation’s healthcare financing.
Non-communicable diseases now account for 45% of all deaths in Ghana, according to the World Health Organization. The Fund is designed to support specialist-level treatment for conditions not fully covered by the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), including cancers, cardiovascular diseases, chronic kidney failure, stroke, diabetes, hypertension, and sickle cell disease.
It is estimated to require approximately three billion Ghana cedis annually over its first three years. The need is dire; one health facility alone recorded five thousand new diabetes referrals in the first half of 2025.
A Call for Collective Sacrifice and Public Support
Reaffirming the government’s commitment to supporting citizens facing serious health challenges, Nana Oye Bampoe Addo framed the donation as the “Reset Agenda made concrete” and urged broader participation.
“This is a passionate appeal from political appointees to each and every Ghanaian,” she said. “We know you will hear, you will dig deep in your pockets and contribute so that more lives will also be saved”.
The call for public and private sector support has already yielded results. Corporate entities such as Telecel Ghana have donated three cervical cancer diagnosis machines, while Alive Industries contributed GH¢500,000. Other donors include East Cantonments Pharmacy, KMI Energies, Ghana EXIM Bank, and First Atlantic Bank, among others.
Legal Framework and Future Outlook
Parliament passed the Ghana Medical Trust Fund Bill in July 2025, providing a robust governance framework with a Board of Trustees to ensure transparency. The Fund is financed through a dedicated allocation from the national budget, voluntary contributions, and grants.
In a major step towards strengthening local healthcare capacity, the Fund has also committed GH¢36 million to train specialist healthcare professionals over three years. The investment, in partnership with the Ghana College of Physicians and Surgeons, the Ghana College of Pharmacists, and the Ghana College of Nurses and Midwifery, aims to decentralize specialist training and improve equitable access to advanced care nationwide.
The MahamaCares Patient Support Programme will initially be rolled out through 29 hospitals across the country. Importantly, the Fund’s mandate is to strengthen local health systems; it will not finance medical treatment abroad, as a single overseas patient could be supported for up to 20 patients in-country.
