The contractor in charge of the Weija Children’s Hospital has reportedly been apprehended by officials from the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO).
This action follows a meeting with the Minister of Health, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, regarding delays in bringing the facility into operation.
According to sources, the contractor met with the Health Minister on Friday, July 10, to discuss the completion and handover of the 120-bed specialist hospital, which has remained closed despite being structurally completed.
During the meeting, government reportedly urged the contractor to hand over the facility to enable the Ministry of Health to begin operations, citing the urgent need for specialised paediatric healthcare services.
The contractor, however, is said to have declined the request, insisting that he would not hand over the hospital until the outstanding balance on the contract had been paid in full or government provided firm assurances on when the remaining payment would be made.
Sources said the contractor maintained that the unresolved financial obligations had to be addressed before the project could be officially handed over.
Shortly after the meeting, EOCO officials reportedly picked up the contractor and took him to the agency’s headquarters. Neither EOCO nor the Ministry of Health has officially commented on the circumstances surrounding the development.
The Weija Children’s Hospital has remained unoperational for more than two years despite the completion of its main infrastructure.
The delay in opening the facility has been attributed to unresolved contractual and administrative issues, including disputes over outstanding payments and the completion of ancillary works, drawing criticism from health stakeholders and residents who have called for the facility to be opened for public use.
Joynews