The government has fulfilled its pledge to donate to the Ghana Medical Trust Fund, also known as Mahama Cares, following salary deductions from President John Dramani Mahama and his appointees.

Minister of State in charge of Government Communications, Felix Kwakye Ofosu, in a Facebook post on Thursday, May 7, announced that the Controller and Accountant-General had formally notified the government of the transfer of GH¢6.1 million to the Fund.

“The Controller and Accountant-General has formally notified Government that he has deducted and transferred a total of GH¢6.1 million to the Fund pursuant to the President’s directive,” he said.

According to him, the deductions were made in line with directives issued by President Mahama during the launch of the Ghana Medical Trust Fund last year.

“At the launch of the Ghana Medical Trust Fund (Mahama Cares) last year, President Mahama pledged to donate six months of his salary to the Fund,” Mr Kwakye Ofosu stated.

He continued that later on, President Mahama encouraged all political appointees to donate one month of their salaries to support the initiative.

Under Article 286 of the 1992 Constitution of Ghana, public office holders are required to declare their assets and liabilities to the Auditor‑General within 6 months of assuming office. However, at the launch of the fund, President Mahama ordered that all public office holders declare their assets or risk forfeiting their salaries for the next three (3) months to the fund.

“Subsequently, he encouraged his appointees to donate one month's salary each to the Fund. He then ordered appointees who defaulted on his first deadline for Asset declaration to forfeit 3 months' salary to be donated to the Fund”, Mr Ofosu continued.

He added that, plans were being finalised to transfer the final tranche, which would include deductions from appointees who defaulted on the asset declaration directive.

“He is currently making arrangements to transfer the final tranche, which will cover the Asset declaration defaulters”, he noted.

About Mahama Cares

The "Mahama Cares" initiative, officially known as the Ghana Medical Care Trust Fund, was launched by the government on April 29, 2025, at the University of Ghana Medical Centre to provide financial support for individuals suffering from chronic diseases such as cancer, kidney failure, and heart conditions. This initiative, introduced by President John Dramani Mahama, aims to ease the financial burden of treatment and improve access to healthcare for affected individuals.

In July 2025, Parliament passed the Ghana Medical Trust Fund Bill under a certificate of urgency and approved GH¢2.9 billion to back the initiative.

The initiative addresses a significant gap in the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), which does not cover many specialised treatments. To guide the fund's operations, the government has inaugurated the Mahama Cares Technical Taskforce, a team of experts responsible for developing policies, creating a funding structure, and setting eligibility criteria for beneficiaries. The task force is chaired by Reverend Professor Emeritus Seth Aryeetey, a former provost of the College of Health Science.

Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, in late April last year, donated three months of his salary to the Ghana Medical Trust Fund, also known as Mahama Cares, joining a wave of public and government support for the initiative.

His pledge came on the heels of John Dramani Mahama’s commitment to donate half of his annual salary to the fund, which aimed to provide financial assistance to Ghanaians suffering from chronic and life-threatening conditions, including cancer, kidney failure, and diabetes.

Speaking on Asempa FM’s Ekosiisen on Tuesday, April 29, Mr Akandoh revealed the fund has already begun receiving support from individuals across the country.“I was surprised that some people offered to voluntarily donate money to the initiative. I can recall a pensioner, Prof Ayittey, generously contributing a substantial amount of 1,000 dollars to support the cause,” he said.