Fr. hospital on fire. (-)

Warrap State government said Father John Lee Memorial Hospital in Tonj South County caught fire on Friday, leaving medical supplies and parts of the facility destroyed.

The facility was donated by a Korean Salesian missionary in honor of a religious leader named Fr. John Lee, who dedicated his life to serving the marginalized communities in the area.

The hospital was inaugurated in July 2014 after four years of planning and construction and consists of maternity and surgical wards and a residence for medical and administrative staff.

However, Warrap Information Minister William Wol Mayoum disclosed that the main section of the charity hospital has been gutted by fire.

Mayom said the main pharmacy and two stores were burned completely in what has been attributed to a fire caused by an accident in its solar electricity installation.

“A clinic caught fire in Tonj town, unexpectedly. The late Dr. Lee Clinic caught fire in what seemed to be an electrical accident from a powerhouse,” he said.

“The fire destroyed the main pharmacy and two stores, and a number of medicines got burned, and such a case has been reported to the state government.”

He added, “We are looking forward to making sure that this incident is investigated.”

The hospital was built by Don Bosco Mission and supported more than 3,500 internally displaced people with a recent COVID-19 initiative.

The organization received support from Salesian Missions in Madrid, Spain, to offer help to local communities in Tonj and other parts of the Bahr el Ghazal region.