Accra: The New Patriotic Party Minority Caucus in Parliament has called for sustainable financing for the Ghana Medical Trust Fund, otherwise known as 'Mahama Cares', to support its funding.
According to Ghana News Agency, the Minority proposed the Covid-19 levy as a viable financing option to support the Trust Fund, instead of the government allocating 20 percent of the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) to it. They argued that the government's decision to take 20 percent from the NHIF would weaken the National Health Insurance Scheme since the Trust Fund would be competing with the scheme for financial resources.
Dr. Nana Ayew Afriye, Ranking Member on the Health Committee of Parliament, made the call during an engagement with the Parliamentary Press Corps in Accra. Dr. Afriye, who is also the Member of Parliament for Effiduase/Asokore, noted that even though the National Democratic Congress (NDC) had pledged before the 2024 general elections to scrap the law establishing the Covid-19 levy, they found it useful after coming into government to earmark the Covid-19 levy towards the Trust Fund.
The Minority Caucus urged the government to apologize to Ghanaians and proceed to channel the Covid-19 levy towards financing the Trust Fund. Dr. Afriye observed that the Ghana Medical Trust Fund appeared to be an outsourced function of the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA), emphasizing the need for clarity so that Ghanaians understand where to seek help from the NHIA and where to seek help from the Trust Fund.
Furthermore, the lawmaker suggested that the government should complete some of the Agenda 111 Hospital Projects and use them as specialist hospitals where individuals suffering from non-communicable diseases, including cancer, diabetes, stroke, asthma, and kidney disease, could seek treatment.
