Eko Hot Blog reports that in a massive fire broke out at the Gombe State Medical Store around 2am on Monday, destroying medical equipment and consumables worth an estimated N5 billion.
Governor Muhammadu Yahaya visited the scene shortly after the incident. “Maternal and Child care equipment and also two million doses of poliovirus vaccines which are very difficult to come by were burnt and this store serves not only Gombe but in fact the entire North-East,” Governor Yahaya stated.
He described the fire as “unfortunate” and said measures were underway to determine the cause and prevent future occurrences.
Commissioner for Health Dr. Habu Dahiru revealed the destroyed items included vaccines, motorcycles, maternal and child health equipment from Rotary International, and family planning and nutrition commodities.
“The cost implication is about N5 billion. If you see the naira exchange rate now, you can imagine how much is one dollar of polio MOPV for that matter that is the most potent polio vaccine is very costly if you covert it from dollar to naira the equipment too,” Dr. Dahiru estimated.
Dr. Dahiru added that a committee was formed to take inventory and itemize the losses. The fire service department was also tasked with investigating the cause of the incident.
The medical store served the entire northeast region with essential medical commodities and equipment. The loss of polio vaccines is particularly devastating, as Nigeria continues efforts to eradicate the disease.
Governor Yahaya stated that the state government has directed the Commissioner for Works, Housing and Transport to immediately determine measures to prevent similar incidents in the future.
Authorities are still investigating the cause of the massive fire that resulted in catastrophic damage to irreplaceable medical supplies in Gombe.
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