Red Flags Over Rotting State Medical Storage Installation As Covid-19 Strikes

Policy think tank, Strategic Thinkers Network (STRANEK) has raised an alarm about the absence of a national medical storage facility after the Central Medical Stores (CMS) in Tema got razed to the ground in 2014.

The CMS is estimated to have held over GHC 260 million worth of medical supplies at the time it was razed down under suspicious circumstances.

Afterwards, the Ministry of Health approved the reconstruction of the ultra-modern facility at the cost of GH¢8 million by NMS Infrastructure Limited, a British-owned construction firm. However, to date, the status of this project and the status of Ghana’s medical reserves have been kept under wraps.

“The Central Medical Store was the storage facility where the Ghana’s medical equipment and drugs were stored for onward distribution to health facilities across the country. STRANEK-Africa is of the view that we cannot as a country rely on our neighbours or allies in times like these especially when they are faced with similar challenges and uncertainties. A typical example is the neglect and deaf ears turned on Italy’s call for medical assistance by EU Member Countries even when they needed them most (A time severely hit by Covid-19),” said STRANEK in a statement released today.

“STRANEK-Africa makes a passionate call on Parliament of Ghana to summon the Minister of Health to present progress on the state of Ghana’s medical reserve and supplies in the wake of this Covid-19 pandemic. This will help us as a country in assessing our capacity in dealing with this outbreak.”

The think-tank wants the Akufo Addo administration to, as a matter of urgency, facilitate local companies to produce ventilators that are one of the key medical equipment needed in the treatment of Covid-19 patients.