Cancer patients benefit from Ghana Medical Trust Fund – Surgeon

Dr. Victor Dassah, a surgeon at the Upper East Regional Hospital, has praised the Ghana Medical Trust Fund (GMTF) for its assistance to cancer patients. The fund has alleviated the financial and emotional strain associated with cancer treatment, enabling patients who previously faced difficulties in accessing further care due to financial constraints.

At a recent event in Bolgatanga, Dr. Dassah announced that the hospital had enrolled 14 breast cancer patients and one prostate cancer patient into the fund. As someone who has personally experienced cancer, Dr. Dassah understands the immense challenges that patients and their families face, highlighting the significant financial, psychological, and other difficulties they endure.

He expressed gratitude for the GMTF's inclusion of cancer care in its programs, stating that the support is a crucial intervention for patients who would otherwise struggle to finance their treatment. Many patients had delayed treatment for months or even a year due to financial difficulties. One patient, for example, had been coming to the hospital for nearly a year but could not proceed with further treatment due to financial constraints.

After being enrolled into the program, her care and treatment plan were approved, marking a significant improvement in her situation. The GMTF, also known as MahamaCares, has provided hope for beneficiaries, with many expressing gratitude for the assistance they received. Dr. Dassah emphasized the overwhelming financial burden that healthcare can impose, even on medical professionals.

He stressed the importance of healthcare providers acknowledging the challenges patients face when they are required to pay for medications, tests, and treatment. Even medical professionals struggle to pay their own medical bills, let alone patients without medical backgrounds. He commended the GMTF for streamlining the patient enrollment process, noting that what once took considerable time is now accomplished in less than 24 hours.

However, Dr. Dassah appealed to the fund and other stakeholders to help the hospital address infrastructure and diagnostic gaps that continue to hinder comprehensive cancer care. Currently, the hospital can perform biopsies but lacks the capacity to conduct histopathological examinations locally, forcing patients to seek such services elsewhere.

This situation not only increases the patients' burden but also results in potential revenue loss for the hospital through referrals. Furthermore, the hospital has oncology specialists ready to administer chemotherapy but has yet to establish the necessary capacity due to institutional challenges. Dr. Dassah called for support to strengthen the hospital's cancer management services, particularly in histopathology and chemotherapy, to enable patients to receive more comprehensive care at the facility.

He expressed optimism that addressing these gaps would improve access to timely cancer diagnosis and treatment, reduce financial burdens on patients, and enhance the hospital's capacity to provide specialized healthcare services.