Fire At Age-Old Under-Construction Salaga Hospital Controlled

Firefighters from the Salaga Fire Command have doused a fire that almost engulfed the 60-bed capacity Salaga Hospital which has been under construction for more than a decade in the Savannah region of Ghana.

According to the Ghana National Fire service, a distress call was received around 12:27 pm on Monday reporting the fire incident.

“Upon arrival at the incident scene at 1231 hours, the Officer In-Charge observed that fire had engulfed a wooden structure which houses the building materials on site and was fast spreading to the bushy surroundings towards the under-construction hospital building”, the Service said in a statement.

The fire was successfully brought under control around 14: 30pm.

“He (Officer In-Charge) tactically and strategically detailed the men to use a length of hose to fight the fire through cooling. This brought the fire under control at 1430 hours and was finally extinguished at 1450 hours.

“The Service, therefore, averted the situation from escalating; thus, salvaged the new under-construction hospital from what could have been a disaster.”

The Salaga Government hospital was awarded on contract by former President John Agyekum Kufour in 2008 and was to be completed in 2011, however, there has seen two more administrations without completion.

Reports indicate that the late and former President of Ghana, John Fiifi Atta Mills as well as his successor, John Dramani Mahama made efforts to complete the project but failed.

In 2020, former President Mahama accused the Akufo-Addo-led government of abandoning the hospital project but this was debunked by the government.

During President Akufo-Addo’s recent tour to the Ashanti region, he named the Salaga hospital as one of the hospital projects his government was undertaking.

Source: opemsuo.com/Hajara Fuseini