Adjoa Obuobia Darko-Opoku, the Administrator of the Ghana Medical Trust Fund, popularly known as MahamaCares, has stated that the Fund will not support patients seeking medical treatment outside Ghana.
She revealed that the Mahama Cares fund has recently come under increasing pressure, with persons appealing for funding to seek treatment abroad.
Adjoa Obuobia Darko-Opoku disclosed that the governing law that established the Fund restricts its mandate to supporting free treatment for non-communicable diseases in Ghana.
Speaking at the Government Accountability Series on Monday, May 11, she said, “There is something that we keep getting. Many people want funding to go abroad. Let me announce here, and now, we do not support any funding out of the borders of this country.
“That money that we spend for one patient to go to India for treatment, we can use that for about 20 patients in the country. Anything beyond the borders as stipulated in the Act is beyond us,” she said.
Also, for one to benefit from support under the Trust Fund, an applicant must meet three basic eligibility requirements.
The applicant must be a Ghanaian citizen, an active NHIS card bearer, and must have a medical condition that falls within the approved conditions supported under the Fund.
Sharing the information on X, the Minister of Government Communication, Felix Kwakye, wrote, “Many have voiced concern about how to access support from the Ghana Medical Trust Fund (Mahama Cares).
The Administrator of the Fund provides the following direction on how to access support.
To benefit from support under the Trust Fund, an applicant must meet three basic
eligibility requirements.
The applicant must be a Ghanaian citizen, an active
NHIS card bearer, and must have a medical condition that falls within the
approved conditions supported under the Fund.
It is important to clarify that patients CANNOT WALK DIRECTLY into the Secretariat to request support.
The process is digital and dignified.
Applications are initiated by specialist clinicians at our enlisted hospitals via a dedicated digital platform.
The Patient Support Programme will initially be delivered through twenty-nine enlisted hospitals strategically distributed across the country to ensure equitable access for all Ghanaians.
These hospitals include:”
He further went on to list some 29 hospitals across the country that will offer the MahamaCares Patient Support Programme.
It will be recalled that in 2025, John Dramani Mahama officially launched the Ghana Medical Trust Fund, also known as The MahamaCares.
The landmark initiative aimed at providing financial assistance to individuals living with chronic diseases across the country.
The Fund seeks to cover the cost of care and medication for Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) not currently included under the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS).