Weija Children’s Hospital: Retract false claims or face legal action – Contractor to Health Ministry

Awerco Construction Limited, the contractor responsible for the Weija-Gbawe Children’s Hospital project, has threatened legal action against the Ministry of Health, demanding the immediate retraction of a press statement it says unfairly blamed the company for delays in operationalising the facility.

In a letter dated May 8, 2026, lawyers for the construction firm accused the ministry of publishing “inaccuracies and misrepresentations” that could damage the company’s reputation and business interests.

The dispute stems from a Ministry of Health press release issued on May 5, 2026, titled “Operationalisation of the Weija Paediatric Hospital,” which reportedly alleged procurement irregularities, including inflated prices of medical equipment said to be up to 11 times their actual cost.

Awerco Construction Limited rejected the allegations as “unfounded,” insisting that no evidence had been provided to support the claims.

“Our Client has been wrongly portrayed as being responsible for the Ministry’s inability to commission and operationalise the Weija Paediatric Hospital,” the lawyers stated.

The company further argued that concerns allegedly raised by the World Bank were never communicated to it, adding that it had fulfilled all its contractual obligations under the project.

According to the letter, the contractor had repeatedly written to the ministry over the past year requesting payment of outstanding obligations but had not received any response.

The company also disputed claims that it halted the commissioning process of the hospital.

“Contrary to the impression created by your press release, our Client never stated in its letter that it had halted the process of commissioning of the facility,” the letter said.

Awerco explained that it only raised concerns about contractual handover procedures and cautioned the ministry on the need for critical protective systems, including UPS units and Automatic Voltage Regulators, to safeguard sensitive medical equipment.

The contractor maintained that the absence of such systems could damage equipment and compromise the hospital’s operations.

It also alleged that delays in settling outstanding payments had affected mandatory end-user training required before the facility could be officially handed over.

“Failure to undertake such training poses an additional risk to the project and to potential patients, as critical medical equipment may not be operated properly,” the letter added.

Awerco further questioned why the ministry would seek to operationalise the hospital if it truly believed procurement prices had been grossly inflated.

The company has therefore demanded the retraction of portions of the ministry’s press statement within 24 hours, warning that it has instructed its lawyers to pursue all available legal remedies should the ministry fail to comply.

Source: citinewsroom