Fire Destroys Offices at Korle Bu Teaching Hospital’s Public Health Laboratory [VIDEOS]

A devastating fire has ravaged parts of the National Public Health and Reference Laboratory (NHPRL) at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital in Accra, destroying critical infrastructure and valuable historical records.

The blaze, which reportedly began around midnight on Tuesday, June 17, 2025, raged for several hours before firefighters were able to bring it under control by approximately 5:00 a.m. on Wednesday morning.

According to eyewitnesses, thick smoke and intense flames engulfed the facility, which is located adjacent to the Diabetes Centre. The affected sections include the stores, archives, accounts, and administrative offices of the laboratory.

A staff member who spoke to Myjoyonline on condition of anonymity said, “Everything was reduced to ashes. Important equipment and documents—some of which date back to before Ghana’s independence—have been completely destroyed.”

The financial loss is estimated to run into millions of Ghana cedis, as the destroyed documents included sensitive medical records, administrative files, and irreplaceable historical archives.

Emergency services have yet to establish the exact cause of the fire, but an investigation has been launched by the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) in collaboration with the hospital’s management.

The incident has disrupted operations at the NHPRL, which serves as a critical center for disease surveillance and reference testing in Ghana. Hospital authorities say contingency measures are being put in place to minimize the impact on public health services.

Further updates are expected as investigations continue.