Tweapease hospital burnt

A 13-room apartment with five additional offices housing the Tweapease Health Centre was razed to the ground when a pre-dawn fire engulfed the building on Thursday.

The fire, which started around 2:30 am, destroyed medical tools and equipment as well as a stock of drugs at the pharmacy unit of the health centre in the Amansie Central District of the Ashanti Region.

No injury or fatality was recorded.

However, the authorities yesterday shut down the facility and referred patients to nearby hospitals for medical services as they devised emergency strategies.

Reports pieced together from residents and staff of the health centre said there was no one at the facility at the time the fire started shortly after the night-duty nurses had gone home because of power fluctuation around 12:00 am.

The fire was believed to have started at a portion and quickly engulfed the 13- apartment building.

District Chief Executive (DCE) Emmanuel Dede Appiah, who visited the scene at daybreak, was saddened by the tragic event.

According to him, the health centre, which served over 25,000 people from surrounding communities, was penciled to receive upgrading to become a district hospital.

He explained that out of seven health facilities in the Amansie Central District, the Tweapease Health Centre was the most highly patronized facility.

The DCE assured the people of the Assembly’s commitment to re-construct the facility within the shortest possible time for it to serve the intended purpose.

He called on the Ghana Health Services and non-governmental organisations to help bring back the facility to shape as its absence would have damning consequences on the people’s primary healthcare.

The District Health Director, Timothy Twumasi Mensah, said the Area Council Office would be used as a temporary shelter to run health services for the people in the surrounding communities.

He also called on the central government to quickly assist them with medical equipment to stock the adopted building to dispense healthcare services.

The Assemblyman of the area, E.K. yeboah spoke about the poor road network leading to the health centre, and appealed to government for rehabilitation as it was the first port of call by accident victims on the Obuasi-Dunkwa road.