(AUDIO): Central Medical Stores to be reconstructed – Minister reveals
The Health Minister, Kwaku Agyemang-Manu has revealed plans to reconstruct the Central Medical Stores (CMS) which was gutted by fire in 2015.
According to him, his Ministry is working with the Finance Ministry to secure funding for the project.
Hon. Agyemang-Manu revealed this in an exclusive interview on Adom FM’s morning show, Dwaso Nsem Tuesday.
Ghana in 2015 lost about $80 million worth of medicines and other medical supplies when fire razed the Central Medical Stores (CMS) in the Greater Accra region.
The uninsured CMS 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 Hon. Agyemang-Manu on Dwaso Nsem 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.
He revealed that, even as the Health Minister, he got the report four months after his appointment into office.
Based on this backdrop, the Minister said he is handicapped to deal with those implicated in the Central Medical Stores issues.
This notwithstanding, Hon. Agyemang-Manu said they are awaiting the Audit Service for the forensic audit to ensure the perpetrators are punished.
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