A television fundraiser asking for mobile money to help patients access Mercy Ships surgery is fake, the ministry says.

Published 12 Nov 2026, 21:24 GMT

2 min read

Ministry of Health press release warning the public against fraudulent Mercy Ships fundraising — The Health Ministry's press release on the fake Mercy Ships fundraising campaign

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The Ministry of Health has cautioned the public against a fraudulent fundraising campaign aired on Ghanaian television, which solicits money from people seeking surgical treatment through Mercy Ships.

In a statement signed by the ministry's spokesperson, Tony Goodman, on Tuesday, November 10, the ministry said the broadcast features an organisation identified as the HELP Save LIFE Foundation, which solicits contributions through an MTN Mobile Money account.

"The Ministry wishes to state categorically that the campaign is not affiliated with, authorised by or endorsed by Mercy Ships," the statement said. It explained that Mercy Ships International, which provides free surgical care across Africa, has its hospital vessel, the Global Mercy, at the Tema Port since August.

The vessel is expected to provide free surgeries to more than 2,500 Ghanaians over a 10-month period ending in June 2027. In September, officials of the Mortuaries and Funeral Facilities Agency inspected the mortuary facility on board the ship.

Patients scheduled for treatment were pre-screened before the vessel arrived, through a process run by Mercy Ships and the ministry. The field service is operating at full capacity and is not accepting additional patients.

"Payments or registrations through third parties will not guarantee access to treatment," the ministry said, reminding the public that all medical services on the ship are entirely free.

What to do if you are approached

Patients and their families should not pay or share personal or financial information with anyone claiming to arrange access to the ship's services. Suspected fraud may be reported through:

Cyber Security Authority: call or SMS 292, or email report@csa.gov.gh. The authority has previously warned of recruitment scams spread by email and text.
Ghana Police Service: report at the nearest police station.
MTN Ghana: call 100 to report suspected fraudulent Mobile Money transactions. Phone numbers used in scams can be checked against a national detection database.
Mercy Ships: report through its official communication channels.

The ministry described exploiting vulnerable patients for money as unacceptable and urged the public to rely solely on official channels for information on the programme.

Araba IncoomAraba Incoom writes on multiple topics with a vast knowledge across different sector. You can almost call me an AI, after all, my initials are Araba Incoom.

Health Ministry warns of fake Mercy Ships fundraising targeting surgery patients

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