GH�72m Drugs Looted... At Central Medical Stores

A total of 300,000 boxes of malaria drugs, Artemether Lumefantrine, estimated to cost GH�72 million were said to be missing from Central Medical Stores before it was razed down by fire. One box of Artemether Lumefantrine containing 24 pills costs GH�240. The malaria drug was said to be issued under mysterious circumstances to the Malaria Control Board, but the drugs are nowhere to be found. An inventory control card indicates that the Malaria Control Board received a total of 396,000 boxes of malaria products in three tranches of 144,000, 144,000 and 108,000 boxes on December 4, 2014. The Board had already taken custody of 28,800 boxes of similar drugs on November 14, 2014. Surprisingly, 300,000 boxes of malaria drugs, Artemether Lumefantrine, were issued under mysterious circumstances to the Malaria Control Board but the drugs are nowhere to be found. However, interdicted head of the Malaria Control Programme, Dr Constance Bart-Plange declined to speak to The Finder, explaining that she has been advised not to speak to the media anymore. Yesterday morning, Dr Bart-Plange spoke to Joy News and made the startling revelations. Her revelations were also given credence by the performance report on Central Medical Stores covering the first six months of 2014, which revealed massive looting of drugs. The report was prepared by the Central Medical Stores Management Committee, which was instituted by the then Minister of Health, Sherry Ayitey. A first-half report of stock count at the end of the various months was fraught with inaccuracies and incomplete data. The periodic stock balances for health commodities could not be established. Dr Bart-Plange told Joy News the drugs were issued under fictitious documentation, with a staff said to have forged her signature while she was on leave, explaining that she noticed the fictitious deals and began investigations into them. She said on Monday, January 12, 2015, she and others went to the Central Medical Stores to ascertain the names on the issue vouchers and to find out where the medicines were sent to after delivery. However, the officials promised to provide the information on Wednesday, January 14, only for the stores to be gutted by fire on Tuesday, January 13, 2015. "Apart from Brong Ahafo non-governmental organisations (NGOs) who said they had received those things, all the others had not received. "So we got alarmed and I went to the CMS together with my deputy and the procurement supply management on Monday, the day before they fire burnt the stores. "I want to place it on record. Let the Ghana population judge," she told Joy News. She did not understand why the Minister would interdict her when the investigations had not been concluded. The primary responsibility of the Central Medical Stores Management Committee was to develop and implement mechanisms for good storage, warehousing and distribution for the efficient management of health commodities at the Central Medical Stores (CMS), to ensure commodity security in the country.