Only 2 MRI machines in state-owned hospitals are currently functional – MahamaCares Administrator
There are currently only two functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) machines in government health facilities in Ghana, according to an assessment by the Ghana Medical Trust Fund, commonly referred to as MahamaCares.
A nationwide needs assessment conducted by the fund found that, beyond the two functioning MRI machines, public health facilities across the country have only five mammogram machines and two radiotherapy machines.
At the same time, just two cardiologists serve the entire northern part of Ghana.
As a result, the acquisition of additional MRI scanners is one of the immediate priorities of the Ghana Medical Trust Fund under the MahamaCares initiative, the Administrator, Adjoa Obuobia Darko-Opoku, has said.
She was speaking in Accra on Monday [June 15, 2026], during a ceremony at the Office of the President, where a cheque for GH¢6.1 million was presented to the fund.
She said the assessment, carried out shortly after the establishment of the fund, exposed major gaps in the country’s capacity to diagnose and treat chronic non-communicable diseases.
“The needs assessment guided our four strategic pillars: patient support, infrastructure and equipment, workforce development, and medical research,” Ms Darko-Opoku said.
She explained that the findings had informed the fund’s intervention plans, including efforts to expand access to specialised medical equipment and specialist care.
“Access to specialised healthcare should not depend on where you are coming from, your need or your income,” she said.
Ms Darko-Opoku said work had begun on three cardiology centres at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital and the Tamale Teaching Hospital.
She added that dialysis machines and intensive care unit equipment were also being supplied to health facilities across the country.
According to her, the fund aims to increase the number of specialists in chronic disease care in all regions within the next few years.
“Our vision is that within a few years, every region in Ghana will have at least 10 specialists to provide advanced care for people living with chronic diseases,” she said.
She said a pilot phase of the programme had already financed surgeries and chemotherapy treatment for 50 patients ahead of the nationwide rollout of patient support services in 29 hospitals this month.
“These are not just medical successes, they are stories of restored hope,” Ms Darko-Opoku said.
The GH¢6.1 million donation presented at the ceremony comprised President John Dramani Mahama’s six-month salary contribution, one-month salary donations from presidential appointees and staff, and deductions from officials who failed to meet the asset declaration deadline.
The Deputy Chief of Staff in charge of Administration at the Office of the President, Nana Oye Bampoe Addo, said additional contributions were expected from appointees who had yet to fulfil their declaration obligations.
She said the demand for treatment of chronic diseases continued to rise, citing one health facility that recorded 5,000 new diabetes referrals in the first half of 2025.
“These are not just statistics, they are our people, our family, our relatives,” Nana Oye Bampoe Addo said.
Nana Oye Bampoe Addo said the Ghana Medical Trust Fund would require about GH¢3 billion annually during its first three years of operation.
Parliament approved GH¢2.9 billion for the fund in 2025 under the Ghana Medical Trust Fund Act, 2025 (Act 1144).
She appealed to Ghanaians, corporate bodies and philanthropic organisations to support the MahamaCares initiative.
“We are making a passionate appeal for more donations for the trust fund to save more Ghanaian lives.
We know you will hear, you will dig deep in your pockets and contribute,” she said.
Ms Darko-Opoku echoed the call.
“The fight against chronic non-communicable disease belongs to all of us. History will remember us for the lives we touched, not what positions we held,” she said.
Ghanaians who wish to contribute can do so by dialling *255# on any mobile network.
