Management of the Ghana Medical Trust Fund (Mahama Cares) has begun a needs assessment tour of teaching and regional hospitals across the country.
The tour will help the management to identify, prioritize, and address the health needs and resource gaps in the various health facilities.
The assessment will involve defining needs, gathering evidence, collecting data on current resources, analyzing this information to determine priorities, develop an action plan, and implement solutions to improve health outcomes.
The goal is to make informed decisions about community health and to ensure resources are used effectively to meet the most pressing needs.
The Ghana Medical Trust Fund, an initiative launched by President John Dramani Mahama to provide financial support for the treatment of chronic and life-threatening diseases that are not covered by the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS).
The fund aims to address the high cost of treating conditions like kidney failure, cancers, diabetes, hypertension, and heart diseases, which often lead to catastrophic household expenses.
At the Korle-bu Teaching Hospital where the tour started, it was revealed that the hospital loses about fifty Intensive Care Unit (ICU) nurses to brain drain every month, according to the deputy medical director of the hospital, Dr, Akoto
Speaking to the media, administrator of the Ghana Medical Trust Fund, Obuobia Darko –Opoku observed that, the tours are designed to gather firsthand information on equipment and infrastructure needs, identify service delivery gaps, and assess the availability of specialists.
‘’The fund intends to visit all 10 regional hospitals, five teaching hospitals, and various district health facilities across the country,” she said.
Story By: Eric Boateng
