The Minister of Health, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, has revealed that President John Dramani Mahama has instructed that the government’s dialysis subsidy programme be expanded to include private health facilities.

The minister made this known at the inauguration of a 13-member governing board for the Ghana Medical Trust Fund, popularly known as “Mahama Cares”.

The initiative is aimed at providing financial assistance for the treatment of chronic non-communicable diseases across the country.

Mr Akandoh explained that the government will now contribute GH₵500 per dialysis session for patients who receive treatment in private hospitals.

“Currently, the subsidy applies to patients at public health facilities, where the government pays about GH₵499 per session. However, we recognise that many people also seek treatment in private centres. The President has therefore directed that the same support be extended to them,” he stated.

He clarified that the arrangement means the government will absorb 50% of the dialysis charges for patients at any of these health facilities.

The directive has been communicated to the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) for implementation.

The Health Minister also appealed to corporate bodies and individuals to support the government’s efforts by contributing to the Ghana Medical Trust Fund.

“As the chairman rightly mentioned, government alone cannot shoulder this responsibility. It is through partnership with corporate Ghana that we can sustain this initiative. Companies such as the Telecel Group and several banks have already joined this cause,” he added.