President John Dramani Mahama has highlighted Ghana’s expansion of social protection and healthcare programmes, including Free Primary Health Care and the Ghana Medical Trust Fund, popularly known as MahamaCare.

Speaking at the 81st United Nations General Assembly on Thursday, September 24, President Mahama said Ghana’s national development strategy was designed to ensure that economic progress translates into tangible improvements in the lives of citizens.

“Central to our national reset is a revolutionary expansion of social protection and universal healthcare,” he said.

He said the Free Primary Health Care Programme was intended to provide Ghanaians with access to essential primary healthcare services at the community level at no cost.

President Mahama also pointed to the Ghana Medical Trust Fund, saying it was supporting Ghanaians suffering from serious non-communicable diseases, including renal failure, cancer, cardiovascular diseases and diabetes.

“Alongside our National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), we have introduced a specialised fund officially named the Ghana Medical Trust Fund (and popularly referred to as MahamaCare) that guarantees Ghanaians suffering from NonCommunicable Diseases (NCDs) such as renal failure, cancer, cardiovascular diseases, and diabetes receive subsidised, affordable, and life-saving care,” he said.

The President said the interventions reflected his belief that democracy should deliver practical social benefits beyond elections.

“Citizens must experience democracy not only through the ballot box every four years, but through improved access to food, quality education, decent housing, accessible healthcare, and economic opportunity,” he said.

He added that Ghana’s domestic programmes were intended to contribute to the country’s progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly the goals relating to poverty, health and inequality.