The Member of Parliament for Abuakwa South, Dr. Kingsley Agyemang, has argued that the government’s proposed Ghana Medical Trust Fund, known as Mahama Cares, is insufficient to effectively address the growing burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in Ghana.
Speaking on the floor of Parliament during deliberations on the State of the Nation Address delivered by President John Dramani Mahama, Dr. Agyemang said the alarming rate of deaths caused by non-communicable diseases demands more comprehensive and well-thought-out policy interventions.
Quoting the President’s own remarks in the address, the lawmaker noted that NCDs account for over 40 percent of all deaths in Ghana and remain a major contributor to household poverty.
“In a nutshell, what the President is telling us is that one out of every two deaths that happen in this country is as a result of non-communicable diseases,” he said.
He described the situation as a major national health crisis that requires bold solutions and sustainable financing mechanisms.
“This is a very big problem. If you are a President and you are confronted with a situation where one out of two deaths happens because of NCDs, then clearly you are dealing with a huge problem,” he stated.
However, Dr. Agyemang questioned whether the creation of the Ghana Medical Trust Fund, popularly known as Mahama Cares, is capable of addressing the scale of the crisis.
“You have this problem that you are confronted with as President, and your solution was the creation of the Ghana Medical Trust Fund. Big problems require big solutions,” he said.
The Abuakwa South MP also raised concerns about the funding structure of the initiative, arguing that drawing resources from an already struggling health financing system could weaken existing interventions.
“For this solution to feature prominently in the State of the Nation Address is very, very unfortunate. We cannot continue this way,” he added.
Dr. Agyemang called for more rigorous financing for the healthcare sector, stressing that policies aimed at addressing the NCD burden must be carefully designed and properly funded.
“There should be more rigorous financing for healthcare. Policies must be very thoughtful, and we must take the people of this country very seriously,” he said.
He maintained that while improving access to healthcare for all Ghanaians is critical, policies must be structured in a way that delivers real and lasting impact.
“Making healthcare accessible to Ghanaians irrespective of socio-economic status does not mean you must hurry to implement a policy that will not benefit the people,” he stressed.
Dr. Agyemang concluded that addressing the country’s rising NCD crisis will require broader and more strategic interventions beyond the Mahama Cares initiative.
