No family should lose everything to save a loved one – GMTF administrator

The Ghana Medical Trust Fund (GMTF) has renewed calls for a stronger national response to the financial burden of serious and chronic illnesses, warning that families should not be forced into financial ruin to keep loved ones alive.

The call was made as the GMTF began its nationwide stakeholder engagement in the Western Region.

The engagement brought together traditional and religious leaders, health professionals, political and community leaders, corporate institutions, civil society organisations, the media, youth groups and other stakeholders.

The initiative aims to deepen public understanding of the Fund and build partnerships to improve access to specialised healthcare.

Western Regional Minister Joseph Nelson welcomed the initiative, describing the establishment of the GMTF as an important policy response to the financial difficulties families face when serious illnesses occur.

He said a diagnosis of a serious or chronic condition could place enormous emotional, physical and financial pressure on families, particularly those struggling to pay for specialised treatment, medicines and continuing care.

“Healthcare is not the responsibility of Government alone. It is a shared national responsibility,” he said.

Mr Nelson called for a collective effort involving government, the private sector, traditional authorities, religious bodies, civil society organisations and development partners to ensure that the Fund achieves its purpose.

He said the success of the GMTF would depend not only on the resources available to it but also on public awareness, confidence, transparency, accountability and effective collaboration.

For GMTF Administrator Adjoa Obuobia Darko-Opoku, the Fund’s urgency is reflected in the difficult choices families face when serious illness strikes.

She said families often have to calculate the cost of medicines, procedures, transportation and lost income, with the situation becoming increasingly difficult as treatment continues.

“For too many families,” she said, the struggle for treatment comes after savings have been exhausted, relatives have contributed all they could, and possessions have been sold.

Ms Darko-Opoku stressed that no parent should have to choose between paying for a child’s treatment and keeping that child in school.

“No patient should have to abandon hope because the cost of care has become unbearable,” she added.

She said the Fund’s work is anchored on four areas: financial support for eligible patients requiring specialised treatment for chronic non-communicable diseases; investment in medical equipment and health infrastructure; support for specialist training; and research and innovation.

According to her, these areas are intended to address both the immediate needs of patients and the long-term capacity of Ghana’s health system.

Ms Darko-Opoku said the Fund’s needs-assessment exercises had also exposed gaps in health facilities and highlighted the need to direct support to areas where it could have the greatest impact.

She identified the Effia Nkwanta Regional Hospital and other health facilities in the Western Region as important to efforts to strengthen healthcare delivery closer to communities.

“When appropriate care is available closer to home, patients can spend less time travelling, caregivers face fewer disruptions and families can devote more of their resources to treatment,” she said.

She also appealed to businesses and corporate institutions in the Western Region to partner with the Fund in strengthening healthcare delivery.

She said businesses could support patient treatment, provide medical equipment, improve infrastructure, develop specialist capacity and advance research.

Ms Darko-Opoku said every partnership must be based on clear needs, measurable results and lasting benefits.

She also assured stakeholders that accountability would remain central to the Fund’s operations.

“Behind an application is someone waiting for care. Behind a request for equipment are patients whose treatment depends on it. Behind every decision about resources are families hoping that help will come in time,” she said.

“Our success must be measured in treatment made possible, hardship eased and lives given a better chance.”

Mr Nelson pledged the Western Region’s support for initiatives to improve the health and well-being of its people.

He also said the region’s specific healthcare needs must form part of the national conversation.

The Regional Minister commended the GMTF for choosing the Western Region as the first stop in its planned engagement across all 16 regions.

The engagement has opened a broader conversation on how Ghana can ensure that serious illness does not push families into financial ruin.

As the Fund takes its message to other regions, its central appeal remains that a serious diagnosis should not become a sentence to poverty and that the ability to pay should not determine who gets a chance to live.