An emergency intervention by the Ghana Medical Trust Fund (GMTF), ahead of its official rollout, has given seven Ghanaians a renewed chance at life, marking a strong start to the Fund’s pilot phase.
Among the beneficiaries are two babies under the age of two and a four-year-old child battling congenital heart defects (holes-in-heart) at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital Cardiothoracic Centre. Two other patients, including a 12-year-old girl and a 53-year-old man requiring urgent neurosurgery, also received full financial support at the hospital’s surgical department.
At the University of Ghana Medical Centre (UGMC), a 25-year-old man diagnosed with ischaemic heart disease can now breathe a sigh of relief after the Trust Fund fully covered his medical bills. Another beneficiary, Rebecca Odarquaye, is now set to undergo a life-saving brain surgery at a daunting cost of GH₵210,840.
The Ghana Medical Trust Fund—an initiative of President John Dramani Mahama—was established to provide financial support for Ghanaians suffering from severe, high-cost chronic illnesses such as cancer, kidney failure, and heart disease, which are not fully covered by the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS).
Although the Fund is yet to be formally rolled out, its Administrator, Adjoa Obuobia Darko-Opoku, has announced the launch of a 50-case pilot programme, with three critically ill patients selected from each region.
“We want to ensure regional balance. That is why we have tasked CEOs and Medical Directors of specialized health facilities across the country to submit details of patients with critical conditions. The Fund will pay their medical bills in full to give them another chance at life,” she explained.
As part of this pilot, the Administrator and her team visited the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, presenting a cheque of GH₵447,000 as full payment for hole-in-heart surgeries for Nadiya Borenasa Mahama, Eldad Ayilaka, and Haalid