WA, GHANA — A paramount chief in Ghana’s Upper West Region has urged citizens to support the Ghana Medical Trust Fund, saying his own kidney treatment cost more than GH¢60,000, MyJoyOnline reported on 10 November.
Kuoro Osman Deiwia Nankpa III, Paramount Chief of the Pulima and Gandawii Traditional Area in the Sissala West District, spoke at a stakeholder engagement and town hall meeting held as part of the Fund’s regional sensitisation tour. He said his treatment in 2008 strengthened his support for the initiative.
He described the Fund as a “timely, potentially life-saving initiative” and said it could become “an enduring legacy” of President John Mahama’s administration. He also appealed for heart surgeons to be posted to the Upper West Region.
What the Ghana Medical Trust Fund covers
The Ghana Medical Trust Fund, created by the Ghana Medical Trust Fund Act, 2025 (Act 1144), provides financial support to eligible patients with noncommunicable diseases and supplies essential medical equipment to health facilities, its Administrator, Adjoa Obuobia Darko-Opoku, said at the meeting.
The Act allocates 20 per cent of National Health Insurance funding to the Trust Fund, according to a 3News review published on 5 November. The initial package covered eight cancers, including retinoblastoma, Wilms tumour, Burkitt lymphoma and acute lymphoblastic leukaemia in children, and breast, cervical and prostate cancer in adults. By late October, more than 800 patients were enrolled under an expanded package that includes 13 common cancers and neurosurgical, cardiovascular and kidney conditions, 3News reported.
Korle Bu’s National Cardiothoracic Centre has carried out more than 160 procedures in a catheterisation laboratory supported by the Fund, 110 of them on children, and the Fund is investing close to GH¢1 billion in equipment, according to the 3News review.
Needs in the Upper West
Dr Philip Baabiineh, Acting Medical Director of the Upper West Regional Hospital, said cardiovascular diseases, kidney conditions and other noncommunicable diseases are major causes of death in the region, and pledged to help connect eligible patients to the Fund.
Dr Josephat Ana-Imwine Nyuzaghl, Upper West Regional Director of the Ghana Health Service, called for community-based public education using community health nurses and asked for an MRI machine for the regional hospital. Regional Minister Charles Lwanga Puozuing pledged the Regional Coordinating Council’s support and urged the media to address misconceptions about the Fund.
Questions about sustainability
The 3News review found that the Fund had not published a patient register, claims-paid schedule or audited annual report, and that regulations required within 12 months of the Act, including how chronic diseases are classified, were not yet listed. Some lawmakers have warned that diverting part of national health insurance funding could weaken the National Health Insurance Scheme.
Kidney disease shows why such a fund matters. Dialysis and transplantation are expensive and often not fully covered by insurance, and many patients in Ghana and across Africa die because they cannot afford regular treatment. The 3News review said kidney transplantation is still being explored by the Fund.
Chronic disease care also depends on prevention. High blood pressure and diabetes are the leading causes of kidney failure, and early detection and control can delay or prevent damage. Community screening, affordable medicines and regular follow-up can reduce the number of people who reach the stage of needing costly treatment.
The Ghana Medical Trust Fund regional tour continues. Its long-term impact will depend on transparent reporting, reliable funding and whether patients outside Accra and Kumasi can access specialist care closer to home.
The Upper West Region is one of Ghana’s poorest and most remote, and patients often travel long distances to Kumasi or Accra for specialist care. The chief’s appeal for heart surgeons and the regional health director’s request for an MRI machine reflect the gap in specialist services in the north.
Officials at the town hall said community health nurses and local leaders could help explain eligibility and the application process, which requires a specialist to apply on the patient’s behalf. Clear information can prevent misconceptions about who qualifies for the Ghana Medical Trust Fund.
Many Ghanaians with chronic illnesses currently pay out of pocket for treatments not fully covered by the National Health Insurance Scheme, including some cancer medicines, heart procedures and dialysis. Families often sell property or rely on relatives and fundraising to pay hospital bills, which the Fund is intended to reduce.
Stakeholders at the town hall agreed to continue sensitisation in districts and communities across the region.
Why it matters: Catastrophic costs for cancer, heart and kidney care push Ghanaian families into poverty, and the Fund must be transparent and sustainable.
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