Labram Musah
The Ghana Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) Alliance (GhNCDA) and people living with NCDs have raised concerns over the Mahama Cares initiative, while commending the government for assenting the bill into an Act.In a statement signed by Labram Musah, Ghana NCD Alliance National Coordinator, the Alliance raised issues with the limited stakeholder engagement preceding the passage of the Trust Fund, noting, “According to the World Health Organisation (WHO) framework for meaningful engagement of people living with NCDs, it is essential that patients, caregivers, civil society, and professional bodies are meaningfully engaged in every step, from policy formulation through to implementation and monitoring.”
Again, it mentioned that “Clause 3 of the Bill leaves an open-ended provision for funding sources,” stressing that without explicit safeguards, the Fund risks infiltration by industries whose products such as tobacco, alcohol, and sugar-sweetened beverages are known contributors to NCDs, noting that the initiative must be protected from the vested interests of such industries.
It stated that, “The call for a comprehensive framework is to limit unhealthy commodity industry involvement stems from the need to mitigate the negative impacts of unhealthy commodity industry on public health, particularly regarding non-communicable diseases.”
It added that, “allowing such contributions without measures would create dangerous public health contradictions, legitimise these industries’ role in national health policy, undermine excise tax policies, and could also erode public trust in the Fund.”
It suggest that to ensure sustainability and independence, at least 50% of the excise tax revenues should be ring-fenced to support the Fund, stating that it aligns with global best practices and Ghana’s own commitment to health-promoting fiscal policies.
The Ghana NCD Alliance has called on the Ministry of Finance and Ghana Revenue Authority to increase the excise tax rates on these harmful health products, while rejecting any industry lobbying for tax reduction or scraping of the excise taxes, adding that a portion of other domestic revenues, such as the gold revenue (as proposed by the Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association), could be allocated to strengthen the Fund’s resource base.
The Alliance recommends the following principles to guide the implementation: thus, it urges the government to protect the Ghana Medical Trust Fund and other supplementary health policies from commercial interests of all unhealthy commodity industry, and strengthen the decentralisation measures highlighted in the Act to ensure that the Trust Fund reaches those who really require the financial protection and support.
Also, it pointed out that, the Trust Fund must guarantee equitable access to NCD diagnostics, treatment, and care, particularly in rural and underserved communities,
as well as increase the level of consultations and collaborations with civil society, research institutions, media, development partners, people living with NCDs and relevant private sector.
By Florence Asamoah Adom