SOMEBODY MUST BE HELD RESPONSIBLE-MAHAMA

President John Mahama has said somebody must
be held responsible for the fire disaster that
ravaged the Central Medical Stores (CMS) in the
Tema Heavy Industrial Area a few days ago.
“The fire service are investigating and coming
up with their report and whatever the report
says – if it was arson, it's criminal; if it was fire
that occurred by accident, then we also have to
ask: ‘What is the state of fire preparedness for
sensitive installations like this? And somebody
must take some responsibility,” President
Mahama said Friday when he inspected the
fire-ravaged facility.
“We can’t continue to have this kind of situation
happen where the nation loses so much money,”
he deplored.
Fire officers struggled for close to 48 hours to
completely douse the inferno which consumed
virtually all medical consumables and equipment
housed at the facility.
The Ministry of Health has estimated the loss at
a cost of about Gh¢237 million.
The Central Medical Stores is Ghana’s largest
drug storage depot, from where all medical
consumables and equipment are distributed to
hospitals and health posts across the country.
Among the drugs destroyed are anti-retroviral
and anti-malarial drugs.
Reports picked up by StarrFMonline.com say it is
more than likely that the facility did not have a
fire certificate.
Speaking to Starr Today, Thursday, the
chairman of the Fire Service Council Alhaji
Amadu Sorogo, said he cannot confirm or deny
that aspect of the report, but eventually it will
be made public.
It has, however, been confirmed by the PRO of
the Health Ministry, Tony Goodman that the
facility was not insured.
The fire, which has been described as a
“disaster” by the Ghana Health Service has put
Ghana’s healthcare sector in a dire position as
the stock available at the regional stores could
last for only three months.
About 15 fire tenders from the Tema Oil
Refinery, Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority,
and the Military helped in fighting the blaze.
President Mahama told Journalists at the
ravaged stores that: “To have a facility like this
burnt down by fire, the inventory is too huge to
even contemplate.”
“All the medical supplies belonging to
government and even medical supplies and
equipment given by donors have all got burnt in
this facility,” he bemoaned.