Officials of Awerco Construction Limited, the company responsible for the construction of the Weija Children’s Hospital, have reportedly been detained by the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) following a dispute over the delayed handover of the facility.
The development comes after a meeting between representatives of the construction firm and the Minister of Health, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, on Friday, July 10, regarding efforts to operationalise the long-awaited specialist hospital.
According to reports, the meeting was aimed at resolving outstanding concerns and facilitating the transfer of the facility to the Ministry of Health so that healthcare services could commence.
Government officials are said to have appealed to Awerco Construction Limited to hand over the hospital to allow the facility to serve its intended purpose of providing specialised paediatric care to children across the country.
However, the contractor reportedly declined the request, citing unpaid balances under the project agreement. The company is said to have insisted that it would only release the facility after the outstanding financial obligations had been addressed or a firm payment arrangement had been established.
Following the discussions, officials from EOCO reportedly took representatives of Awerco Construction Limited into custody and transported them to the agency’s headquarters. The reason for the reported action has not been officially disclosed.
Neither EOCO nor the Ministry of Health has released an official statement on the matter as of the time of filing this report.
The Weija Children’s Hospital project has been at the centre of public attention due to the prolonged delay in opening the facility, despite the completion of its major construction works.
The 120-bed specialist hospital, located in the Weija-Gbawe Municipality of the Greater Accra Region, was built to expand access to quality paediatric healthcare and ease pressure on existing referral facilities, including the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital and the Princess Marie Louise Children’s Hospital.
The facility is expected to provide comprehensive medical services for newborns, children and adolescents, with modern infrastructure including specialised wards, operating theatres, intensive care units and outpatient departments.
However, unresolved contractual issues, including disagreements over outstanding payments and additional project requirements, have delayed the commissioning of the hospital.
The continued closure of the facility has attracted concerns from healthcare stakeholders and residents, who argue that the delay is preventing thousands of children from benefiting from a project designed to improve access to specialised medical care.
The latest development adds a new chapter to the ongoing discussions surrounding the future of the Weija Children’s Hospital, with attention now turning to how the dispute between the government and the contractor will be resolved.