The contractor responsible for the construction of the Children’s Specialist Hospital at Weija has officially handed over the facility to the government.
Officials from the Ministry of Health received the hospital and subsequently handed it over to the Ghana Health Service (GHS) on Friday, August 7.
It remains unclear, however, whether the GHS has constituted a management team to oversee the facility or when the hospital will officially commence operations. Sources indicate that the government is yet to fully settle payments owed to the contractor.
The development follows months of public pressure from residents and parents in Weija, who in May 2026 staged a demonstration demanding the operationalisation of the 120-bed facility, which had reportedly been completed more than a year earlier.
After the demonstration, the contractor, was reportedly invited by the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) shortly after a meeting with the Minister of Health, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh.
The Member of Parliament for Weija-Gbawe, Jerry Ahmed Shaib, has also renewed calls for the facility to be opened to serve residents and neighbouring communities.
Speaking to Citi News at a separate forum on Friday, Mr Shaib said the hospital should not be subjected to political considerations and must be made available to the public.
“I don’t think we should still be playing politics with this facility. It should be operationalised for people to use it. I had a word from the Minister, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, that it has been operationalised, so I should pass by and see, but when I did, it was still closed,” he said.
When fully operational, the 120-bed hospital is expected to provide specialised paediatric healthcare services and reduce pressure on the St. Louis Children’s Hospital, which has experienced challenges linked to ageing infrastructure.
The facility is expected to improve access to advanced child healthcare services for residents of Weija-Gbawe and surrounding communities once operations begin.
