By Akua Barden
For thousands of Ghanaian families, a cancer diagnosis has long meant more than a health crisis it has meant financial ruin. But the Ghana Medical Trust Fund, launched in 2025, is seeking to change that narrative by easing the crushing cost of cancer and other chronic diseases while expanding access to specialist care across the country.
Cancer in Ghana is not just a medical diagnosis; it is often a financial sentence. Once a loved one is diagnosed with cancer or another chronic non-communicable disease, many households see their lives upended almost overnight. Treatment is costly, prolonged, and frequently located far from patients’ homes. Savings are depleted within months, and in many cases, treatment is abandoned not by choice, but by circumstance.
This stark reality, according to Dr Noble Keypole, Health Policy Advisor to the Ghana Medical Trust Fund, was the driving force behind the establishment of the Fund. Speaking on Radio Ghana’s flagship programme Daybreak Ghana on Thursday, January 15, Dr Keypole explained that the cost of managing chronic conditions has pushed countless families below the poverty line.
“When you are on dialysis, for example, you need two sessions every week. That alone can cost about five thousand Ghana cedis a month,” he said. “Many families simply could not cope. Some patients stopped treatment altogether, and that led to poor outcomes and, in some cases, death.”
The Ghana Medical Trust Fund, established under Act 1144, was launched in April 2025 and formally became law in July the same year. Its mandate extends beyond settling hospital bills. At its core is the principle of equity ensuring that access to quality specialist healthcare is not determined by where a person lives.
Currently, advanced healthcare services in Ghana are heavily concentrated in Accra and Kumasi. Patients in other regions often endure long-distance travel, high accommodation and transport costs, and delayed care. This imbalance is especially evident in cancer treatment. Radiotherapy services, for instance, are available in only three centres nationwide, all located in Accra and Kumasi.
For patients outside these cities, treatment often means weeks away from home, with additional financial and emotional strain on families.
To address this gap, the Fund is investing not only in covering treatment costs but also in medical equipment, infrastructure, and specialist training, with the aim of bringing services closer to patients across the regions.
The Fund is currently implementing a pilot programme involving 50 patients with non-communicable diseases. The pilot is intended to test operational systems, identify gaps, and refine processes ahead of a planned nationwide rollout later this year.
Funding for the initiative is drawn largely from National Health Insurance allocations, made possible after the removal of the cap on the National Health Insurance Levy. That policy decision unlocked more than GH¢2.9 billion for health sector spending.
In addition, the Fund has mobilised GH¢6.6 million in donations and grants within just four months. However, officials concede that the demand for support far exceeds the resources currently available.
Another major challenge is the shortage of medical specialists. To address this, the Fund is working to expand training centres across the country, enabling doctors, nurses, pharmacists, engineers, and other professionals to build capacity without leaving underserved communities.
Prevention also remains a key pillar of the broader health strategy. Through free primary healthcare, public education, and screening programmes, authorities aim to detect diseases early and reduce the long-term burden on the health system.
While the Ghana Medical Trust Fund is not a cure-all for Ghana’s healthcare challenges, it represents a significant shift in how the country confronts cancer and other chronic illnesses.
For families facing cancer today, the Fund offers something many have never had before a chance to fight the disease without being pushed into poverty. Cancer may still be devastating, but it no longer has to be a financial death sentence.
