Former CEO of the National Entrepreneurship and Innovation Programme (NEIP), Kofi Ofosu Nkansah, has questioned the rationale behind the newly passed Ghana Medical Trust Fund Bill, 2025, popularly known as the ‘MahamaCares’ programme, describing it as a duplication of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS).

In a Facebook post on Wednesday, July 23, Mr Nkansah challenged the logic of allocating NHIS funds to a separate initiative when the conditions targeted by the programme could be incorporated directly into the existing health insurance framework.

“If MahamaCares is going to use NHIS funds, then why not just add those diseases to the NHIS list?” he quizzed.

“Are they just duplicating NHIS to create a by-force social intervention for the NDC and Prez Mahama?”

His post adds to growing concerns among critics who believe the programme is more politically motivated than medically necessary.

The Ghana Medical Trust Fund Bill, passed this week, seeks to establish a dedicated fund to provide specialised treatment for chronic and non-communicable diseases such as cancer, stroke, kidney failure, and diabetes.

According to the bill, beneficiaries must be registered NHIS members and must apply for support through a certified specialist.

However, 20 per cent of NHIS funds are expected to be redirected to finance this new fund, a decision which has raised alarm among several legislators.

Kwadaso MP, Prof Kingsley Nyarko, had earlier described the programme as “completely needless and unnecessary,” arguing that the National Health Insurance Act could simply be amended to cover the chronic conditions.

“You do not need a sacred intervention to achieve that,” he said in an interview.