Fire guts administration block of St. Joseph Health Centre

Fire has gutted the administration block of St. Joseph Health Centre in the Sawla-Tuna-Kalba District of the Savannah Region.

The unfortunate incident, which has caused damage to properties worth thousands of Ghana cedis is reported to have been triggered by low voltage drop experienced in the area and some other parts of the Sawla-Tuna-Kalba District.

Mr. Sobiitey George, who is in charge of the facility in an interview with this reporter said the fire outbreak was first noticed by a client, who then prompted the security officer and staff nurse on duty Sunday night.

He said the timely intervention of the staff on duty and personnel from the Ghana National Fire Service brought the situation under control.

According to him, vital equipment, files and properties such as printers, photocopy machine, scanners, chairs, the roof of the building, computers, windows and doors of the facility were destroyed by the fire.

He noted that the situation will affect healthcare delivery especially pregnant women, since the facility was the only health centre serving the entire Kalba community and its environs.

The Savannah Regional Fire Safety Officer, who doubles as the Public Relations Officer for the Ghana National Fire Service, Salisu M. Sirilbaini said the fire may have been caused by arching, earthing, fire load or grounding and gradually spread from the printer to the other costly equipment.

He said further investigation was being conducted to ascertain the exact cause of the fire.

"When other people see fire, they begin to run away, but you were able to manage the fire when it started and I must applaud you for that bold and brave step," he said.

He hinted of plans to train some staff of the health centers in the region on fire safety skills in order to enable them detect early fire signs and take actions to prevent extreme damages.

The Diocesan Health Director, Aiden Ngmenban encouraged the workers not to allow the incident undermine their commitment to the community.

He assured that his outfit was going to work as quickly as possible with the necessary stakeholders to procure the essential equipment lost during the fire outbreak in order to keep the facility operational.

He called on stakeholders, philanthropists, NGOs, the MP for the area and the District Assembly to attend to the urgent need of the facility.

The St. Joseph Health Centre in the Sawla-Tuna-Kalba District was established in the year 1980 by the Catholic Church and became operational in 1981.