The Minority in Parliament has called on the Ministry of Health to immediately operationalise the Weija Children’s Specialist Hospital, insisting that there is no justification for further delays in opening the facility to the public.
According to the Ranking Member on Parliament’s Health Committee, Dr Nana Ayew Afriye, the hospital’s operation would significantly help address growing healthcare demands within the Weija catchment area while also creating employment opportunities for unemployed health professionals across the country.
Addressing a press conference, Dr Ayew Afriye stressed that the facility was ready to serve the public and urged government to prioritise its opening in the interest of healthcare delivery and job creation.
“It is the considerate position of the Minority that the Weija Children Hospital be opened now. There is no further reason for delays in operating that hospital especially as we need employment for the many unemployed youth; the nurses and the lab physicians in the system,” he stated.
He noted that the increasing population within the Weija enclave further underscored the urgent need for the facility to begin operations.
“Also the population in the Weija catchment area is the more reason why the hospital should be operating as of now,” he added.
Dr Ayew Afriye also dismissed allegations that the hospital project was marred by procurement irregularities and inflated costs under the previous administration.
According to him, all procurement processes associated with the project received the necessary approvals from the relevant authorities.
“There has been this position by government that the last regime was involved in misprocurement and delays. This is not true,” he said.
The lawmaker further argued that the Ministry of Health could not attribute any alleged procurement breaches to the contractor, maintaining that all transactions undertaken during the execution of the project were approved by the Public Procurement Authority (PPA).
The Weija Children’s Specialist Hospital is expected to provide specialised healthcare services for children and ease pressure on existing health facilities within the Greater Accra Region when fully operational.
The Minority’s call comes amid ongoing concerns about unemployment among healthcare professionals and increasing pressure on Ghana’s healthcare infrastructure.
