Medical Trust Fund not a rival to NHIS — Health Minister
By: Solomon Nartey Tetteh
The Minister of Health, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, has dismissed claims that the newly introduced Ghana Medical Trust Fund will compete with the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS).
Over the years, Ghana’s healthcare system has relied heavily on the NHIS to provide access to basic medical care for millions of citizens.
However, the scheme has faced persistent criticism for its limited coverage, especially regarding non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as cancer, hypertension, stroke, and diabetes.
These chronic conditions are not only expensive to manage but also account for a growing share of the country’s disease burden.
Speaking during parliamentary proceedings yesterday, Mr. Akandoh clarified that the purpose of the fund is to complement not rival the NHIS. He explained that the Ghana Medical Trust Fund is specifically designed to address non-communicable diseases that are currently not covered under the NHIS.
“It was clear at the committee level that this particular fund is dedicated toward the treatment of NCDs not captured by the National Health Insurance Authority. There is absolutely no competition,” Mr. Akandoh stated.
The Health Minister emphasized the urgent need for targeted interventions to address NCDs such as diabetes, hypertension, and cancer, which continue to rise sharply across the country.
“Mr. Speaker, we all know someone battling with these chronic diseases. The mortality rate attributable to NCDs is about 40 to 43 percent. And more alarmingly, if you exclude child mortality from the statistics, the figure exceeds 65 percent,” he said.
The Health Minister stressed that the growing burden of NCDs represents the most pressing challenge in the country’s health sector.
“If you ask me, the main challenge in our health system at the moment is non-communicable diseases,” he noted.
Mr. Akandoh urged Parliament to support the fund, describing it as a critical step toward improving access to essential healthcare services for individuals suffering from conditions currently beyond the scope of NHIS coverage.
