Nana Ayew Afriye, the Ranking Member of Parliament’s Health Committee, has rejected claims that procurement irregularities are stalling the opening of the Weija Gbawe Specialist Children’s Hospital, declaring the facility fully completed and ready to serve the public.
Addressing journalists in Parliament, Afriye dismissed allegations of financial misconduct surrounding the project, which was funded through an International Development Association (IDA) facility from the World Bank.
While the project was initially designed as a 40-bed facility, it was subsequently expanded to a 120-bed hospital. Afriye emphasized that this expansion was executed with the full institutional knowledge and approval of all relevant stakeholders, including the World Bank.
The dispute stems from a post-procurement review by the World Bank, which flagged the pricing of a 128-slice CT scan as inflated. Afriye strongly defended the integrity of the transaction, noting that all equipment procurement passed through Ghana’s statutory channels, receiving explicit clearance from both the Ministry of Health and the Public Procurement Authority (PPA).
“If you attack procurement which has gone to PPA approved, then you are more or less attacking the PPA or the procurement authority of this country. It’s got nothing to do with a contractor,” Afriye stated.
He further revealed that when the World Bank raised objections over the pricing, the financial institution was challenged to provide an alternative invoice for a machine of identical brand and technical specification, but failed to do so. He stated that the total equipment cost for the facility stands at $3.8 million, maintaining that any allegations of overpricing must be substantiated with verifiable evidence rather than speculation.
According to the Health Committee Ranking Member, the contractor has fully executed the contract, even delivering additional infrastructure, such as power generators, that exceeded the original scope of work. Afriye indicated that the World Bank itself has since shifted its stance and called for the facility to be operationalized, noting that “nobody is discussing misprocurement anymore.”
Afriye criticized the current handling of the situation by sector leadership, arguing that administrative disagreements should not penalize citizens who require specialized healthcare services.
“What the Ghanaian knows is that they want to use it,” Afriye said. “It’s totally needless to hold back a completed hospital over flimsy procurement arguments. The Minister of Health should have done due diligence instead of raising this issue publicly now.”
Urging state officials to decouple healthcare delivery from political posturing, Afriye called for the immediate opening of the Weija Gbawe Specialist Children’s Hospital so it can fulfill its intended purpose as a critical referral center for pediatric care.
Eugenia Ewoenam Osei
