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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 company accused the ministry of publishing “inaccuracies and misrepresentations” capable of damaging the firm’s reputation and business interests.
The dispute follows a Ministry of Health press release issued on May 5, 2026, titled “Operationalisation of the Weija Paediatric Hospital,” which reportedly alleged procurement irregularities, including claims that some medical equipment had been procured at prices up to 11 times higher than their actual cost.
Awerco Construction 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 company’s lawyers stated.
The contractor further argued that concerns allegedly raised by the World Bank were never formally communicated to the company, adding that it had fulfilled all contractual obligations under the project.
According to the letter, the company had repeatedly written to the ministry over the past year regarding outstanding payments but had received no response.
Awerco also denied claims that it had 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 statement said.
The company explained that it had only raised concerns about contractual handover procedures and advised the ministry on the need for protective systems such as UPS units and Automatic Voltage Regulators to protect sensitive medical equipment.
It argued that failure to install such systems could damage equipment and compromise hospital operations.
The contractor also claimed 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 genuinely believed procurement prices had been grossly inflated.
The company has demanded the retraction of portions of the ministry’s statement within 24 hours and warned that it would pursue all available legal remedies if the ministry fails to comply.