Fire ravages National Public Health Lab at Korle Bu, destroys vital records and equipment

A devastating fire has gutted multiple offices at the National Public Health and Reference Laboratory (NHPRL), located adjacent to the Diabetes Centre at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital.

According to eyewitness accounts, the blaze broke out around midnight on Tuesday and raged for several hours before being completely extinguished by 5:00 a.m. Wednesday morning.

The inferno ravaged critical sections of the facility, including the stores, archives, accounts, and administration offices.

Although the cause of the fire remains unknown, the extent of the damage is extensive.

"Everything was burnt to ashes," an eyewitness recounted, adding that documents and laboratory equipment worth millions of Ghana cedis were destroyed.

Among the lost materials are irreplaceable archival documents dating back to the pre-independence era.

Officials have yet to release a formal statement, but emergency services and hospital administrators are expected to launch a full investigation into the incident.

There are no immediate reports of injuries.

The National Public Health and Reference Laboratory plays a key role in disease surveillance and public health diagnostics, raising concerns about the potential disruption of critical services in the coming days.

Story by: Joshua Kwabena Smith