General News of Tuesday, 20 January 2015
Source: myjoyonline.com
One more top official of the Ghana Health Service has been interdicted following a damning report on the Central Medical Stores fire in Tema, Joy News sources say.
The latest casualty is the Programme Manager of the Malaria Control Programme, Dr Constance Bart-Plange.
Joy News sources say she has been asked to step aside for investigations to continue after it was found that malaria drugs were also missing from the stores before the fire.
The Bureau of National Interdiction (BNI) on Monday picked up 10 persons for questioning in connection with the 4-day long ravaging fire at the national drugs warehouse.
Although the names of all ten top officials of the Ghana Health Service are yet to be made official, Joy News has learned of names such as Director Procurement and Supply of the Ministry of Health, Samuel Boateng; Director Supply Stores and Drug Management at the Ghana Health Service, Dr Kwesi Addai Donkor, and Head of Stores at the Central Medical Stores, Abdul Karim Iddrisu.
The facility was consumed by fire last week, destroying medical supplies and equipment worth over Ghc230 million.
Meanwhile, the Chamber of Pharmacy is warning of the possible influx of fake medicines into the country following the destruction of essential drugs worth almost Ghc300 million.
Although Government insists it still has enough stock to meet the country’s medicine requirement for the next three months, Chief Executive Officer of the Chamber, Anthony Ameka told Joy News the security agencies must be on the lookout to ensure only genuine medicines that meet standards are allowed into the country.
Mr. Ameka also warned that there will be sanctions for members of the Chamber of Pharmacy, who may take advantage of the situation to increase the prices of the drugs.