Central Medical Stores to be re-constructed

Almost a year after the Central Medical Stores (CMS) in Tema was raised down by fire; the place is being cleared for the construction of an ultramodern facility to house Ghana’s medical suppliers.

The Ministry of Health has approved the re-construction of a new Central Stores that will cost the country some GH¢8 million.

The main Tema Sewerage system which runs through underground the facility is expected to be re-diverted when actual reconstruction works begin.

On January 13, 2015, fire destroyed the CMS, where medical supplies are stored for onward distribution to medical facilities nationwide, resulting in the loss of millions of cedis worth of essential medicines and equipment, a development that massively challenged healthcare delivery in the country.

Medical supplies, non-drug medical consumables, medical equipment and food items estimated at over GH¢261 million (equivalent to $81.7 million) were lost to the fire.

It took three days to completely put out the fire of which nothing was salvaged. A popular view was that the fire was a sinister work of some officials in Ghana’s medical supply chain who wanted to prevent exposure after some dubious procurement deals.

This was articulated by Head of the National Malaria Control Program, Dr. Constance Bart Plange.

She and nine others were subsequently put on interdiction.

The allegation led Ghana National Fire Service and the Bureau of National Investigations (BNI) carrying out investigations into the suspected case of arson.