Gov’t announces reconstruction of Central Medical Stores

The government will reconstruct the Central Medical Stores which fire destroyed in  2015,  the Minister of Health, Kwaku Agyeman-Manu, has said.

The minister who spoke during the sod-cutting ceremony for the construction of the Korle- Bu Maternity and Urology and Nephrology Centres said the reconstruction will be done before the end of this year, 2020.

“We have also aligned the construction and equipping of some hospitals before the end of the year. The sub-regional hospital in Tema, the reconstruction of the central medical stores, construction and equipping of Shama district hospitals, construction, and equipping of trauma hospitals in Anyinam and Obuasi. Refurbishment and equipping of Ngleshie and Obuasi hospitals again”, he said.

The Central Medical Store was the storage facility where Ghana’s medical equipment and drugs were stored for onward distribution to health facilities across the country.

The fire outbreak destroyed over GH¢200 million worth of medicines and other consumables which seriously affected the healthcare delivery of the country.

The Central Medical Stores contained every conceivable drug imported into the country, including drugs for deadly diseases such as HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria, and Ebola.

A committee established to investigate the case blamed it on arson and one Samuel Dogbe, a labourer at the Medical Stores as being behind the fire.

In 2016, 12 officials of the Ghana Health Service who were also accused of playing various roles in the arson were also interdicted.

But the health minister, Kwaku Agyemang-Manu said, in spite of the probe by the Bureau of National Investigations (BNI), there has been no prosecution because of delay of the forensic audit.

In August 2019, it emerged that authorities at the Central Medical Stores spent GHc300,000 of drug funds on the  payment of rent for the temporary Central Medical Stores at Spintex.

This was after a report by the Auditor-General on alleged misapplication of drug funds contrary to Regulation 179 of Financial Administration Regulations, 2004.

The report stated that the amount was paid to P.S.B Realty Company Limited in March 2017.