The contractor responsible for the Weija Children’s Hospital has been picked up by officials of the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) following a meeting with the Minister for Health, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, over the delayed operationalisation of the facility.
Information gathered, indicates that the contractor was invited to a meeting with the Health Minister on Friday, July 10, to discuss the completion and handover of the hospital, which has remained unused despite being structurally completed.
Sources familiar with the meeting told Citi News that the government urged the contractor to hand over the facility to enable it to open the facility to the public, given the urgent need for specialised paediatric healthcare services in the area.
However, the contractor reportedly declined the request, insisting that he would not release the facility until the outstanding balance owed under the contract had been fully paid or the government provided firm assurances on when the remaining payment would be made.
According to sources, the contractor maintained that he could not hand over the hospital without resolving the outstanding financial obligations.
Following the meeting, EOCO officials reportedly picked up the contractor and transported him to the agency’s headquarters. The circumstances surrounding the action have not yet been officially disclosed, and EOCO has not issued a statement on the matter.
The Ministry of Health has also not commented publicly on the development.
The Weija Children’s Hospital has become a subject of public concern after remaining unoperational despite being completed for more than two years.
The 120-bed specialist hospital, located in the Weija-Gbawe Municipality, was constructed to improve access to paediatric healthcare and reduce pressure on major referral facilities, including the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital and the Princess Marie Louise Children’s Hospital.
The project was expected to provide specialised services for newborns, children and adolescents, with modern wards, operating theatres, intensive care facilities and outpatient services.
Despite the completion of the physical infrastructure, the hospital has not been commissioned or opened for public use, largely due to unresolved contractual and administrative issues, including disputes over outstanding payments and the completion of ancillary works.
The delay has attracted criticism from health stakeholders and residents, particularly as healthcare facilities continue to face pressure from increasing patient numbers and periodic outbreaks of disease.