The Ghana Medical Trust Fund (GMTF) is set to boost specialised healthcare delivery in the Eastern Region with plans to equip the Eastern Regional Hospital in Koforidua with critical medical equipment by December 2026.
The intervention, which is expected to significantly strengthen the hospital’s diagnostic and treatment capacity, will include a digital breast mammography machine, ultrasound machines, an endoscopy machine, 10 patient monitors and chemotherapy suits.
The Administrator of the Fund, Adjoa Obuobia Darko-Opoku, announced this at a town hall meeting in Koforidua as part of the Fund’s regional sensitisation tour of the Eastern Region.
She said the planned support formed part of GMTF’s broader commitment to strengthening healthcare infrastructure and expanding access to specialised medical services, particularly for patients battling cancer and other non-communicable diseases (NCDs).
Ms Darko-Opoku explained that the regional engagement was designed not only to educate the public about the Fund’s mandate and interventions but also to identify critical healthcare needs and build stronger partnerships with health institutions and other stakeholders.
She noted that the Fund was established to address the enormous financial difficulties families encounter in accessing specialised treatment for chronic and non-communicable diseases, stressing the importance of collective support to ensure that no eligible patient was left behind.
She therefore called on traditional authorities, the media, market queen mothers and community leaders to intensify public education and help connect eligible patients to the Fund’s interventions.
Welcoming the announcement, the Medical Director of the Eastern Regional Hospital, Dr Sananwie Suntaa Aiden, described the intervention as timely, given the growing burden of chronic diseases confronting the facility.
He identified cardiovascular diseases, hypertension and renal conditions among the major health challenges presented at the hospital, explaining that the high cost of managing such conditions continued to place considerable pressure on patients and their families.
Dr Aiden said some patients and their relatives struggled to afford even basic laboratory investigations, making financial and infrastructural support essential to improving access to treatment.
He appealed to the GMTF to consider providing a dialysis machine to the hospital to strengthen its capacity to manage patients with kidney-related diseases. He also pledged the hospital’s full cooperation towards the successful implementation of the Fund’s programmes.
The Eastern Regional Director of the Ghana Health Service, Dr Damien Puunguyire, also urged stakeholders to embrace and support the Fund, noting that its interventions would provide significant relief to patients and families struggling with the cost of specialised healthcare.
He, however, emphasised the need to strengthen primary healthcare and the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) to promote early detection and effective management of diseases, thereby reducing the burden on specialised treatment facilities and the Fund.
The Eastern Regional Minister, Rita Akosua Adjei Awatey, described healthcare as a critical pillar of national development and expressed optimism that the sensitisation exercise would deepen public understanding of the Fund’s mandate and encourage greater community participation.
Also addressing the meeting, the Santahene of New Juaben, Dr Nana Agyeman Boateng Kwagyan I, who represented the Omanhene, Daasebre Kwaku Boateng III, commended the establishment of the Fund under Act 1144, describing it as an important intervention in addressing the financial devastation associated with chronic illnesses.
He said the New Juaben Traditional Area expected the Fund to deliver three key outcomes: provide relief from catastrophic healthcare costs, bring specialised medical services closer to communities and protect families from the economic consequences of prolonged illnesses.
He assured the Fund of the traditional area’s support and called on Ghanaians to rally behind the initiative to ensure that its objectives were achieved.
The planned equipment support for the Eastern Regional Hospital underscores GMTF’s commitment to complementing existing healthcare interventions by strengthening institutional capacity while helping vulnerable patients overcome the financial barriers to specialised medical care.
