The Member of Parliament for Abuakwa South, Dr Kingsley Agyemang, has criticised the government’s proposed health intervention under the Ghana Medical Trust Fund (MahamaCares), arguing that the initiative cannot adequately address the growing crisis of Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) in the country.

Contributing to the debate on the State of the Nation Address delivered by President John Dramani Mahama, Dr Agyemang described the scale of deaths caused by NCDs as alarming and requiring far more comprehensive policy responses.

Quoting the President’s own remarks in the address, the lawmaker noted that “NCDs account for over 40% of all deaths in Ghana and remain a major cause of household poverty.”

According to him, the statistics underscore the gravity of the health challenge facing the country.

“In a nutshell, what the president is telling us is that one out of every two deaths that happen in this country is as a result of Non-Communicable diseases,” he said on the floor of Parliament.

He described the situation as a “very big problem,” adding that such a serious national challenge demands bold and well-structured policy responses.

“If you are a president of a country and you are confronted with a situation where one out of two deaths happens because of NCDs, then clearly you are dealing with a huge problem,” he stated.

However, Dr Kingsley Agyemang argued that the government’s response through the Ghana Medical Trust Fund — popularly known as MahamaCares — does not sufficiently match the scale of the crisis.

“You have this problem that you are confronted with as a president, and your solution was the creation of the Ghana Medical Trust Fund. Big problems require big solutions,” he said.
The Abuakwa South MP further criticised what he described as the government’s decision to rely on funding sources from an already constrained health financing system.

“For this solution to feature prominently in the State of the Nation Address is very, very unfortunate. We cannot continue this way,” he stated.

Dr Agyemang called for more rigorous and sustainable financing mechanisms for the health sector, stressing that policy decisions must prioritise the long-term welfare of citizens.

“There should be more rigorous financing for healthcare. Policies must be very thoughtful and we must take the people of this country very seriously,” he added.

He added that while improving healthcare access for Ghanaians, regardless of socio-economic status, is important, policy responses must be carefully designed to ensure they effectively address the challenges they seek to solve.

“Making healthcare accessible to Ghanaians irrespective of socio-economic status does not mean you must hurry to implement a policy that will not benefit the people,” he urged.

Dr Agyemang maintained that tackling the high rate of NCD-related deaths requires more comprehensive and strategic interventions.

“One out of two deaths cannot be solved by the creation of Mahama Cares,” he concluded.

AE