Ga Mantse urges equal access to quality healthcare regardless of financial status
The Ga Mantse, His Royal Majesty King Nii Teiko Tsuru II, has called for a healthcare system where access to life-saving treatment is not determined by a person’s financial status.
He said no Ghanaian should be denied quality healthcare because of an inability to pay for treatment, particularly as the rising cost of specialised medical care continues to place a significant financial burden on families.
The Ga Mantse made the appeal when the Administrator of the Ghana Medical Trust Fund (GMTF), Adjoa Obuobia Darko-Opoku, led a delegation to engage stakeholders in the Greater Accra Region as part of the Fund’s nationwide sensitisation tour.
He described the establishment of the GMTF as a major intervention to support families struggling to meet the increasing cost of specialised healthcare.
He urged stakeholders to maximise the opportunities provided by the Fund to ensure that financially vulnerable Ghanaians were not denied access to quality medical care.
The Ga Mantse further encouraged the GMTF to explore ways of strengthening maternal healthcare, noting that such interventions would complement its broader efforts to improve healthcare delivery.
The call comes as the GMTF steps up its nationwide sensitisation campaign to educate communities and key stakeholders about its mandate, programmes and interventions.
The Fund’s Administrator, Adjoa Obuobia Darko-Opoku, said it was crucial for every Ghanaian, particularly those unfamiliar with its operations, to understand the Fund’s work.
She cautioned that Greater Accra’s reputation as a region of opportunities should not overshadow the difficulties faced by families caring for relatives living with non-communicable diseases.
“Even here in Greater Accra, families go through enormous difficulties trying to care for relatives suffering from non-communicable diseases,” she said.
Ms Darko-Opoku explained that the GMTF was established to address critical gaps in healthcare delivery through support for medical equipment, financial assistance, infrastructure development and other areas of specialised healthcare.
She appealed to individuals, businesses and corporate institutions in the region to contribute to the Fund to expand its reach and help save more lives.
The Greater Accra Regional Director of Health Services, Dr Robert Amesiya, also urged Ghanaians to “jealously guard” the GMTF, describing it as a valuable opportunity to strengthen the health system and improve access to essential healthcare services.
He stressed that collective support was necessary for the Fund to fulfil its mandate, particularly in assisting people who could not afford specialised medical treatment.
The Greater Accra Regional Minister, Linda Obenewaa Akweley Ocloo, commended President John Dramani Mahama for establishing the GMTF and welcomed the nationwide sensitisation campaign.
She emphasised that increased public awareness would help ensure that the Fund’s interventions reached the people who needed them most.
She also called for closer collaboration between the GMTF and Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) to avoid duplication of interventions and ensure the effective use of available resources.
Madam Ocloo assured the Fund of the Greater Accra Regional Coordinating Council’s support in promoting collaboration among stakeholders across the region.
The engagement formed part of the GMTF’s nationwide regional sensitisation tour, which aims to strengthen public awareness, engage healthcare professionals and traditional authorities, and mobilise broader stakeholder support for the Fund’s mandate.
By Esther Padmore Amonoo
