Contractor rejects Health Ministry’s misprocurement claims over Weija Paediatric Hospital
Awerco Construction Limited, contractors for the Weija Paediatric Hospital project, has rejected allegations by the Ministry of Health linking delays in operationalising the facility to procurement breaches.
The company says claims that medical equipment costs were inflated are false and unsupported by evidence.
It also accused the Ministry of attempting to shift blame over the continued closure of the hospital despite the project being completed.
The response follows a statement issued by the Ministry of Health on Tuesday, May 5, which attributed the delay in commissioning the hospital to unresolved payment issues after the World Bank reportedly raised concerns about alleged procurement irregularities.
In a letter dated May 8, and signed by the Head of Dispute Resolution at A.E.K. Kodjoe & Associates, Yaw Acquah, solicitors for Awerco Construction Limited described the allegation as baseless.
“In your Press Release, you stated that in 2024, the World Bank raised concerns about misprocurement, including inflated medical equipment costs up to about 11 times the actual price. This allegation is unfounded, and without any disclosed factual or evidential basis,” portions of the notice stated.
The contractors further denied claims that they halted the commissioning and operationalisation process over outstanding payments.
“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 added.
According to the company, the Ministry was rather informed about critical technical requirements needed to protect sensitive medical equipment, including the installation of UPS units and Automatic Voltage Regulators.
The contractor also argued that the Ministry failed to honour its financial obligations, making it difficult to undertake mandatory end-user training required before the formal handover of the facility.
Awerco Construction Limited has consequently demanded an immediate retraction and apology from the Ministry of Health within 24 hours, warning that it would pursue legal action should the request not be complied with.