Health Ministry poised for even more dynamism in Health Sector
ONE YEAR after the tragic fire that devastated its  Brickdam head office, the Ministry of Health says it is fully operational and is a better Ministry today than prior to the fire.
The fire started sometime before 3:00 hours on Friday, July 17, and was reportedly sparked by channa-bombs, which erupted in the top flat of the Ministry’s main building.
The tragic fire totally destroyed the headquarters of the Health Ministry and more than 200 persons who worked out of the main building were dislocated, more than 20,000 square feet of space were lost, with 27 departments of the Ministry being disrupted.
Police later removed channa-bombs from inside the compound and also discovered that louvre windows on another building in the compound were damaged. Pieces of glass and channa were found on the inside and outside of the building.
The fire department and the police determined that the fire was an act of arson.
In a statement to the media, an official of the Ministry said that the intent of such an act was clearly to derail the work of the Health Ministry.
The release added that in the initial days after the fire, work was only marginally affected.
“The Ministry of Health staff was determined that the fire and deliberate attempt to distract and disrupt our work would not succeed. As we observe, still with sadness, the 1st anniversary of the tragic Ministry of Health fire, we take great consolation in the fact that, far from putting us back, we have accelerated the work load at the Ministry,” the release said.
The statement pointed out that all staff members have found space to work and that the vehicles that were destroyed have been replaced.

Rebuilding

It added that the physical reconstruction of the new Ministry of Health has started and $200M has already been expended in reconstruction, rehabilitation and in acquiring equipment that were lost.
Importantly too, the restoration of documents that were destroyed were said to be almost completed.
The release said that the short-term recovery plan has been fully implemented and the medium term re-development plan, which is scheduled to end in December 2010, is fully in place.
The release said, “The long-term plan beyond 2010 is to consolidate most of the functions in a single main building.”
The Health Ministry also expressed its appreciation to its partners at the Pan American Health Organisation/World Health Organisation (PAHO/WHO), United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the World Bank and others.