Tony Goodman, the Spokesperson of the Ministry of Health, has revealed that steps have been taken to operationalise the Weija-Gbawe Children’s Hospital within the next two to three weeks.
Speaking in an interview on Star FM, Tony Goodman stated, “Based on the commitment we’ve seen in the last 24 hours, we can assure the people of this country that within two to three weeks, we should be able to commission this facility”.
“The terms of the contract state that payment will be made by a third party, which is the World Bank. When the last certificate was issued, the World Bank refused to pay, citing prices way above the market price,” he explained.
He further cautioned, “This isn’t a banana republic. If you force your way in and the equipment develops a fault tomorrow, you cannot hold the contractor responsible. We must use dialogue to reach an amicable resolution”.
Earlier, the Ministry of Health finally broke its silence following angry residents of Weija-Gbawe who stormed the Children’s Specialist Hospital over the continued closure of the fully furnished facility.
According to the Health Ministry, the closure is due to delays in procurement irregularities, funding disputes, and unresolved contractual issues, despite the facility being physically completed.
They disclosed that the World Bank raised concerns about misprocurement, which included inflated costs of medical equipment.
In a press statement issued on May 5, the Ministry acknowledged the protest, however, attributing the delay to serious procurement breaches.
The statement revealed, “The World Bank raised concerns about misprocurement, which included inflated costs of medical equipment up to about 11 times the actual price”.
“As a result, the World Bank declined to settle all the outstanding payments.”
The Ministry disclosed that while it was “prepared to commission the facility for use,” the contractor refused access:
“The contractor subsequently halted this process, insisting that all outstanding issues be fully resolved before granting access to the hospital.”
“The Ministry wishes to assure the people of Ghana that it is actively engaging all stakeholders to resolve the matter in the best interest of the public.”
“The Ministry acknowledges the critical importance of the hospital… particularly in providing specialised care for children.”
“The Ministry therefore appeals to the people of Weija… to exercise patience while steps are taken to operationalise the hospital.”
The statement comes after angry residents of Weija-Gbawe have stormed the Children’s Specialist Hospital over the continued closure of the fully furnished children’s specialist hospital.
The protestors are demanding that the President commission the facility so it can begin operations.
Demonstrators were seen with placards which read, “Weija Gbawe deserves healthcare, not delays”, and “No excuses, commission the Weija Gbawe children’s hospital.”
Kwame Asante, a frustrated resident during the protest, stated, “I have entered the hospital before, when it was completed. It has everything in it,” he said. “I think we should put the NDC, NPP issue aside, it is about Weija-Gbawe. I want to plead with the health minister and the government to come and commission this project.”
“We are losing our children because when you go to the old children’s place, the place is not safe for children. But this one is, and yet it is closed, why?” he asked.
Hannah, who is a trained pharmacist and a resident of the area, stated, “I have been trained as a pharmacist for all these years, and I am home. But we have a facility here closed. If this is opened, I could be employed, and I will get work to do,” she said.
Comfort, another irate resident stated, “Two months ago, my sister’s child collapsed, and we drove here only to realise that it is still closed. So we had to go all the way to Marina Hospital, which is very far from here.
“We cannot watch these instances keep happening. We want to plead with the government to open the facility to service the children,” she said.
“We have ambulances, and every facility that is needed; it only needs to be commissioned for use.”
See the post below:
Weija Paediatric Hospital to be opened in three weeks…#GHOneNews #EIBNetwork #GHOneTV #NewsAlert pic.twitter.com/qODTN0d8bD
— GHOne TV (@ghonetv) May 6, 2026