Exactly a year ago today, June 3, 2015, the nation woke up to a heart-wrenching disaster which resulted in the death of an estimated 153 Ghanaians, many of them burnt beyond recognition. This has been described as the greatest tragedy in the history of the country.

Several people including nurses, teachers, artisans, bankers, students, and children lost their lives. Many families were affected and those people are still living with the painful effects of this mishap.

GNPC’s intervention
Beyond our support for victims and survivors immediately after the disaster, GNPC, as part of our commitment to empower dreams and further the interest of Ghanaians, took the bold step to invest in the Burns Centre at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital.  In November 2015, we presented a cheque of One Million Dollars to the Burns Centre to kick-start work to bring about the birth of the first ultra-modern Intensive Care Unit (ICU) for burns in Ghana, and West Africa.

When fully operational, the rate of survival of patients at the Centre, is expected to increase from below 40% to a high of about 90%, as is the situation in developed countries with such ICUs.

The project committee made up of stakeholders including Ministry of Health, the Burns Centre and of course GNPC are working tirelessly to see to the timely and successful completion of the project.

Facts
Burns caused by Gas and Petroleum products increased from 11% in 2006 to as high as 30% in 2011 and 32% in 2012.

Currently, there is no world class standard Burn Centre in the country or even the whole of the sub-region. As a result, cases of burns which should have a good chance of survival end up yielding because of inadequacy of burn care facilities.

As we mark the first anniversary of this unfortunate event, let’s be proud of this life-saving investment by GNPC and share with all our loved ones.