Former Deputy Minister for Health, Alexander Akwasi Acquah, has criticised the arrest of the contractor responsible for the Weija Children’s Hospital, describing the move as counterproductive and unlikely to resolve the long-standing dispute delaying the facility’s operationalisation.
Speaking on Accra-based Citi FM, he argued that dialogue rather than law enforcement should have been prioritised to address the contractual impasse.
“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.
The Akim Oda MP 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.
The arrest of the contractor by EOCO officials followed a meeting with the Minister for Health, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, on Friday, July 10, aimed at securing the completion and handover of the facility, which has remained unused despite being structurally completed.
The Weija Children’s Hospital has been a source of public concern after standing idle for more than two years, even as demand for specialised paediatric healthcare services continues to grow in the region.
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