The Member of Parliament for Weija-Gbawe, Jerry Ahmed Shaib, has spoken out against the government’s delay in opening the Weija-Gbawe Paediatric Hospital, warning that bureaucratic issues are putting lives in danger.
He has challenged the explanation given by the Ministry of Health (Ghana). The ministry had blamed procurement concerns and a funding disagreement with the World Bank for holding back the project.
“This shifting of blame… is not a true representation of the matter,” he said.
Shaib made it clear that the contractor answers only to the Ministry of Health, not the World Bank. In his view, the government should fix the problem directly instead of allowing delays to continue.
He backed this point with the contractor’s position, saying, “Its contractual relationship. It is solely with the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Ghana, and not with the World Bank”.
According to him, the hospital is already complete and equipped for use. He highlighted that the facility includes 120 beds, operating theatres, and fully installed medical tools.
“People are losing their lives because of the non-operation of that facility,” he said.
He added that families now travel across Accra in search of paediatric care, which puts extra strain on patients.
To illustrate the impact, Shaib described a situation where a critically ill child had to be moved from one hospital to another overnight because the new facility remained closed.
He argued that opening the hospital would prevent such distressing experiences.
He also raised concerns about the equipment inside the building. Machines like CT scanners, he explained, could deteriorate if they are not used regularly.
Shaib questioned the logic behind delaying such an important project over a $3.8 million issue.
“Are we saying that because of $3.8 million that is why we are not commissioning the hospital?” he asked.
He further noted that ministry officials had earlier promised that the hospital would already be in operation, but those assurances did not materialise.
Despite his strong criticism, Shaib emphasised that his concern is about public health, not politics.
“It is for the use of the Ghanaian people, not about which government commissions it,” he said.
