The Minority in Parliament has called on the Ministry of Health to immediately operationalise the Weija Children’s Specialist Hospital, dismissing allegations of misprocurement and overpricing surrounding the project.
Ranking Member on Parliament’s Health Committee, Dr Nana Ayew Afriyie, said activating the facility would create employment opportunities for many unemployed health professionals while addressing the growing healthcare needs of residents in the area.
His comments follow recent concerns and protests by residents of Weija, who have been urging authorities to open the hospital to help tackle persistent healthcare challenges affecting children in the municipality.
“It is the considerate position of the minority that the Weija Children Hospital must be opened now. It must be opened now. There is no further reason for delays in opening that hospital, especially when we need employment for the many unemployed youth, the nurses and the lab physicians in the system,” he told journalists in Parliament on Thursday, May 28, 2026.
He explained that the main challenge at the initial stage involved procuring equipment for the facility, adding that the World Bank had been informed about the hospital’s expansion from a 40-bed facility to a 120-bed capacity.
Dr Afriye also argued that the Ministry of Health cannot accuse the contractor of misprocurement, insisting that all procurement processes and transactions received approval from the Public Procurement Authority.
“There’s been this position by the government that the last regime was involved in mis-procurement and delays. This is not true.
“At every stage of the process, the World Bank was aware that the project had to be enhanced from a 40-bed to a 120-bed facility,” he stated.
