A Ghanaian non-governmental organisation (NGO), Hyiamang Widows’ Care Foundation (HWCF) has appealed to government to allocate a percentage of the District Assembly Common Fund (DACF) to pay for the medical bills for cancer patients, particularly children and the elderly.

Alternatively, if the government would not use the DACF, then, it could be covered by the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) to enable patients to live longer because cancer care was very expensive in Ghana.

Mr. Osei Hyiamang, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) made the appeal at the inauguration of the Foundation at Duayaw-Nkwanta in the Tano North Municipality of the newly-created Ahafo Region.

The initiative by the NGO is to take care of cancer patients upon the realisation that they had not been captured for free medical care under the NHIS, Mr. Hyiamang revealed.

He said most of people died shortly after they had been diagnosed of the disease because of their inability to afford the cost of treatment.

Mr. Hyiamang said aside taking care of the health needs of registered widows and their children below 18 years by the NGO, the Foundation would provide each of them with a start-up capital, either fiscal cash or working tools to establish small scale business ventures to enable them meet their socio-economic needs.

He said the package covered the elderly above 60 years but not necessarily widows, and added that the educational needs of the widow’s children would also be provided by the Foundation.

Mr. Hyiamang announced the Foundation was in the process of doing online registration of widows, saying that it would initially register 200 widows and their children below 18 years, 800 elderly people and 20 children with cancer conditions.

Madam Yaa Kyeremaah, a 72-year old widow, on behalf of her colleagues expressed their appreciation to the NGO and appealed to other benevolent organisations to support them financially for their survival because “we are now physically weak and cannot work for a living”.