Business mogul, Sir Sam Jonah, is still seeking answers on the circumstances that led to the fire outbreak at the Central Medical Stores in 2015.
He has questioned why there has not being any accountability from the relevant authorities eight years after the incident.
Sir Jonah made the remarks while addressing the 2023 annual general conference of the Pharmaceutical Society of Ghana in Takoradi on Wednesday.
“Lest I forget, how did the entire stores holding pharmaceuticals at Ghana’s biggest harbour burn down with no evidence nor records whatsoever of the stocks therein? Ladies and gentlemen, we are where we are, but the health of our nation is not what we want it to be,” he said.
He among other things, bemoaned the extent of corruption, which has become the bane of Ghana’s public and health sectors.
“Like in a patient, the systems that must work together to ensure wellness are not functioning as expected, and, as a result, our values are under siege. Confidence in key institutions is on the decline. Checks and balances, which are desperately needed for the progress of any nation are seriously compromised.
“Corruption and greed have eaten deep into the fabric of our nation. Young people are fast losing hope and the dignity of labour. Public services, which are already paid for by taxpayers’ money, are subject to bribes solicited by public officials in order to speed up processes or to exempt people from necessary procedures. It is here too,” he lamented.
The Tema-based Central Medical Stores housed every conceivable drugs imported into the country before onward distribution to the various regions.
But on January 13, 2015, a fire outbreak suspected to be arson destroyed an estimated GH¢237 million worth of medical supplies.
The Global Fund, a global health financing organization, later forgave Ghana after its $27 million worth of medical supplies were lost in the fire.
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