Pulima Chief Backs Medical Trust Fund, Seeks Heart Surgeons for Upper West

A paramount chief in the Upper West Region has pledged his support for the Ghana Medical Trust Fund (GMTF), citing his own experience of a serious kidney illness that he said cost him over GH¢60,000 to treat in 2008.

Kuoro Osman Deiwia Nankpa III, Paramount Chief of the Pulima and Gandawii Traditional Area in the Sissala West District, also appealed for heart surgeons to be made available in the region, as first reported by Graphic Online.

He was speaking at a town hall and stakeholder meeting held by the GMTF as part of a sensitisation tour of the Upper West Region.

According to the chief, his illness showed him how costly it can be to manage serious conditions, and the financial and emotional burden this places on families, especially those who cannot pay for specialist care.

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He called on residents, traditional leaders, businesses and other stakeholders to support the Fund so that it can be sustained. He noted that sickness can suddenly upset a family's plans, income and finances, and said the country must strengthen measures that stop people from being turned away from vital treatment because they cannot afford it.

The chief described the GMTF as a considered and life-saving initiative and praised President John Dramani Mahama for introducing it, saying it could become one of the President's lasting legacies.

On heart care, he said having specialists in the region would widen access to advanced treatment and ease the hardship patients face when they must travel elsewhere for it.

Welcoming participants, the Upper West Regional Minister, Charles Lwanga Puozuing, said the Fund's success would rest mainly on joint efforts to make sure its support reaches those in greatest need. He promised the backing of the Upper West Regional Coordinating Council and asked journalists to help inform the public and clear up misunderstandings about how the Fund works.

The GMTF Administrator, Adjoa Obuobia Darko-Opoku, said the Fund was set up to give financial help to qualifying patients with non-communicable diseases and to improve healthcare by supplying essential medical equipment to health facilities.

Dr Philip Baabiineh, Acting Medical Director of the Upper West Regional Hospital, said heart disease, kidney conditions and other non-communicable illnesses were major causes of death in health facilities in the region. He said the hospital was committed to helping eligible patients obtain support from the Fund.

The Upper West Regional Director of the Ghana Health Service, Dr Josephat Ana-Imwine Nyuzaghl, urged a community-based approach to educating people about the Fund. He proposed using Community Health Nurses to reach residents in districts and communities.

He also called for improved diagnostic services at the regional hospital, including a Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) machine, to support diagnosis and access to specialist care in the region.