Government to conduct forensic audit into Tema CMS fire - Bawumia

Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia has given a hint that a forensic audit would be conducted into the suspected arson into Ghana’s largest drug supply and distribution centre which occurred in the year 2015.

The Vice President gave the hint when he addressed the Townhall meeting organised by Accra-based Joy FM on Monday April 17, 2017 to appraise government's policies in its first 100 days. He said: “We have not had a forensic audit after all the request… We will have that forensic audit.”

It will be recalled that on January 13, 2015, the CMS was consumed by fire, resulting in the destruction of medical supplies and equipment.

A Committee set up to investigate the Central Medical Stores fire says the fire was deliberately set to destroy evidence of theft, massive fraud and widespread irregularities.

“It was established that the fire was deliberately set and that property damaged was worth millions of Ghana Cedis,” former Attorney General, Marietta Brew Appiah-Oppong told said.

The suspected arsonist was named as Samuel Dogbe, who used to be a labourer at the CMS. The act, according to her was triggered after the then Health Minister, Dr Kwaku Agyemang-Mensah tasked the Economic and Organised Crime Unit to look into some suspected irregularities at the CMS.Subsequently, the government interdicted some 12 officials of the Ghana Health Service (GHS) who were suspected to have played various roles in the fire outbreak at the CMS.

The 12 were identified as Peter Ekow Gyimah, Former Head of CMS, Alhaji Yusif Inua, Member of the Interim Management Committee, Iddrisu Abdul Karim, Acting Head of CMS, Esi Makankatha, Principal Pharmacist/Warehouse Mangaer and Zeboat Doh, Warehouse Manager.

The rest were Ibrahim Laryeh Amartey, Line Warehouse Manager/General Pharmaceuticals Unit, Kwami Foli, Warehouse Manager, Mathias Senaya, Warehouse Manager/General Pharmaceuticals, Victoria Anning, Senior Supply Officer/Stores, James Benjamin Annan, Pharmacist/systems Analyst and Peter Ataba Addah, Store keeper.



Drugs purchased by the state for the treatment of Malaria, HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and some Ebola PPE’s which were all kept at the Central Medical Stores for distribution across the country got burnt.

The Vice President said:

“The terms of reference have been completed to enable the selection of auditors to undertake the forensic audit of the January 22, 2015 Central Medical Stores fire outbreak.”