Former Deputy Minister for Health, Alexander Akwasi Acquah, has criticised the arrest of the contractor responsible for the Weija Children’s Hospital, arguing that the move will not resolve the longstanding dispute delaying the operationalisation of the facility.
Speaking on Eyewitness News on Friday, July 10, he described the arrest by the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) as counterproductive, insisting that dialogue rather than law enforcement should have been used to address the contractual impasse.
According to him, the contractor has consistently maintained that the hospital has not been handed over because of outstanding payments owed by the government, making negotiations the most appropriate way to break the deadlock.
“I think this is a very bad move by the government. We know about this issue. From the account of the contractor, there were outstanding debts, and that’s why the hospital has not been opened. If we had sat down to find a lasting solution, it would have helped our cause better,” he said.
Mr. Acquah further questioned the rationale behind the arrest, saying the circumstances surrounding EOCO’s action remain unclear and risk undermining efforts to bring the project into operation.
“If you call the contractor into a meeting, giving him the impression that you are going to resolve the impasse, and then cause his arrest, I don’t think that is the right way to solve the problem,” he added.
His comments follow the arrest of the contractor by EOCO officials after a meeting with the Minister for Health, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, on Friday, July 10, over the delayed commissioning of the Weija Children’s Hospital. The meeting focused on securing the completion and handover of the facility, which has remained unused despite being structurally completed.
Information gathered by Citi News indicates that the government urged the contractor to release the hospital for public use due to the urgent demand for specialised paediatric healthcare services. However, the contractor reportedly declined, insisting that the facility would only be handed over after the outstanding contract balance had been paid or the government provided firm assurances regarding payment.
The Weija Children’s Hospital has remained a source of public concern after standing idle for more than two years despite its completion.
The 120-bed specialist facility, located in the Weija-Gbawe Municipality, was built to expand access to paediatric healthcare and ease pressure on major referral centres, including the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital and the Princess Marie Louise Children’s Hospital.
