Presidential advisers, appointees and staffers at the Office of the President have donated a total of GH₵6.1 million to the Ghana Medical Trust Fund (MahamaCares), reaffirming the government’s commitment to supporting Ghanaians battling chronic and non-communicable diseases.
The donation was formally presented at a ceremony held at Jubilee House on Monday, June 15, 2026, where the Deputy Chief of Staff in charge of Finance and Administration, Nana Oye Bampoe Addo, underscored the importance of collective sacrifice in addressing the growing burden of chronic illnesses in Ghana.
Addressing guests, Nana Oye Bampoe Addo highlighted the struggles faced by thousands of Ghanaian families dealing with conditions such as cancer, kidney failure, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, hypertension, stroke and sickle cell disease.
“These are not statistics. They are our people,” she stated, noting that many families are forced to sell property, exhaust savings and incur debts in order to afford life-saving treatment.
According to her, non-communicable diseases account for approximately 45 percent of all deaths in Ghana, making access to affordable treatment a pressing national concern.
She praised President John Dramani Mahama for establishing the Ghana Medical Trust Fund, popularly known as MahamaCares, to bridge treatment gaps not fully covered under the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS).
“The President did not just launch a fund and leave the room. He pledged six months of his own salary as seed funding and invited his appointees to contribute one month’s salary to support the initiative,” she said.
The Deputy Chief of Staff revealed that the Controller and Accountant-General had already transferred GH₵6.1 million to the Fund.
The amount comprises the President’s salary donation, contributions from presidential appointees and staffers, as well as deductions from officials who failed to meet asset declaration deadlines.
She acknowledged that the contributions required genuine sacrifice from many donors.
“These salary donations came with real sacrifices. Bills had to wait, plans had to be deferred, and commitments had to be renegotiated. We knew the cost, and we paid it anyway,” she remarked.
Nana Oye Bampoe Addo emphasized that every cedi donated would directly support patients requiring critical medical interventions such as chemotherapy, dialysis and other treatments for chronic illnesses.
“Every cedi we are presenting today will go towards putting a smile on someone’s face who has been waiting for it. It will fund a cancer patient’s next round of chemotherapy and pay for dialysis sessions for families who have run out of options,” she said.
She described the donation as a practical demonstration of the government’s Reset Agenda, stressing that leadership must be rooted in service and sacrifice.
“Public service is, at its core, about giving, not receiving. Together, we are walking the talk. Together, we are the Reset Agenda in action,” she concluded.
The MahamaCares initiative, launched by President Mahama on April 29, 2025, is expected to require approximately GH₵3 billion annually over its first three years to support treatment for non-communicable diseases across the country.
Story: Patrick Asford Boadu
