| FIRE ON THE MOUNTAIN
•Bad news for people living with AIDS as dawn
fire consumes anti-retroviral drugs warehouse in Lagos
By TESSY OKOYE
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
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• PHOTO: Sun News Publishing
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The building lies almost bare like a wasteland, with only
occasional glow from smouldering wood and other combustible
materials speaking silently about the devastation that visited
the place.
Charred and twisted rows of iron racks and split cooling units,
as well as burnt ultra-modern medical equipment and laboratory
apparatus welcome you to the place. Still arranged conspicuously
in their cartons and crates are charred bottles of anti-retroviral
drugs, reagents and other consumables meant to give life to
or sustain thousands of HIV/AIDS infested people in the country.
The once sparkling gigantic storehouse, unrivaled in the whole
of the West African region, at the moment, stands roofless,
covered with soot, while the cracked walls stand lifeless,
apparently waiting to hit the ground with a thud any moment.
This depiction might not aptly portray the ruins of the multi
naira Harvard United States President’s Emergency Plan
for AIDS Reliefs (PEPFAR) Central Medical Store, located at
the Nigerian Institute of Medical Research (NIMR), Yaba, Lagos,
after it was recently gutted by fire, but it sure sends a
sole message that the loss suffered is huge.
Although built in 2005, the central warehouse for ART drugs
was remodeled and commissioned by the former Minister for
Health, Prof Eyitayo Lambo, in 2006. It had a supply chain
management system that makes supplies to 17 Anti-retroviral
(ART) pharmacies in Nigeria. Before it was gutted by fire,
it was providing drugs and HIV monitoring supplies for distribution
to those facilities that service 42, 000 Nigerian patients,
including mothers and infants.
On that day, there was no foreboding of disaster.
There were no signs that nightfall that fateful day was a
harbinger of catastrophe either. Residents of the sprawling
NIMR Complex retired to bed after a long day of research and
attending to people with different health complications only
to be abruptly woken by fire alarms in the early hours of
the morning. The fire, whose cause has not yet been ascertained,
but speculated to be caused by electrical sparks, was discovered
by vigilant security guards on patrol. Spirited efforts to
put out the flame by firefighters, police and residents failed,
as it raged ferociously as if on a mission, only to stop after
licking everything on its path in the early hours of the morning.
The irony of the incident is that the multi-million generator
that provides power backup, owing to the sensitive nature
of drugs in storage, was not torched. Other adjoining office
complex was also spared by the rampaging inferno.
According to a staffer of the institute, who spoke on condition
of anonymity, the fire started about 11p.m and all efforts
to put it out with extinguishers failed. She was, however,
grateful that the inferno did not spread to many newly constructed
offices close to the warehouse.
“It would have been a colossal loss if the fire had
spread to the other office complex. Millions of vital information,
documents, not to mention equipment would have been destroyed.
The timely arrival of fire fighters saved the day. It was
a great loss that should not have visited the country at that
time.”
Though no human life was lost, fears are rife that it might
never be the same for dependants and recipients of the drugs
supplied to 29 clinical sites scattered across the six geo-political
zones in the country, as supplies of anti-retroviral drugs
might be affected.
This fear was, however, allayed by the Chief Clinical Officer
of the institute, Dr. Ernest Ekong, while taking Daily Sun
round the rubble of the warehouse.
According to him, although the 29 PEPFAR treatment sites in
the country get their regular supplies from the burnt store
house, they are usually given two months supplies in advance.
He disclosed that the sites had enough reserves, as they had
just received their supplies before the place was gutted by
fire.
“The loss of this state-of-the-art warehouse is understandably
painful for all those who knew and benefited from services
offered by the medical facility. We want to reassure our patients
that their drug supplies will not be interrupted, as all our
treatment sites maintain a buffer stock. We have begun ordering
supplies to replace the loss and there is enough stock to
ensure the continuity of the scheme,” he assured.
Dr. Ekong was also thankful that efforts were made to stop
the fire from spreading to other areas. He believed God did
not allow any of the walls of the storehouse to collapse,
which would have spelt doom for the institute.
Lending more weight to the availability of drugs for patients,
the Country Director of Harvard PERFAR Programme, Prof. Robert
Murphy, added: “We have made emergency orders and our
partners are also assisting us with drugs. We would try as
much as possible to reduce the effect the fire might have
on our beneficiaries. Arrangements are being made for an alternative
temporary warehouse.
Already, the American embassy has almost concluded plans to
give us one for the meantime.”
At the time of filling in this report, the place has been
cordoned off and investigations were still on to unearth the
cause of the fire. Inventories were also taken on actual cost
of losses incurred by the early morning inferno.
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