Hospital contractor hits back at Health Ministry, threatens lawsuit over “damaging” press release
A construction firm at the centre of a row over a stalled children’s hospital has put the Ministry of Health on notice, warning it will head to court unless the government publicly withdraws statements it believes have unjustly tarnished its name.
Through its legal representatives, Awerco Construction Limited — the outfit behind the Weija-Gbawe Children’s Hospital project — fired off a letter on May 8, 2026, accusing ministry officials of circulating falsehoods that could inflict lasting damage on the company’s standing and commercial prospects.
The flashpoint is a ministry press release dated May 5, 2026, centred on the operationalisation of the Weija Paediatric Hospital, which reportedly pointed fingers at the contractor over procurement irregularities — among them allegations that medical equipment had been procured at prices as much as eleven times above market value.
Awerco has flatly dismissed those claims as baseless, arguing that not a shred of supporting evidence has been put forward.
Its lawyers were unequivocal in their pushback, stating that the company had been wrongly cast as the obstacle standing between the facility and its opening, when in their view, the ministry’s own conduct is to blame for the delays.
They also contested suggestions that concerns had been raised by the World Bank, noting that no such communication had ever been directed at their client, which they say has honoured every obligation under its contract.
Adding to the grievance, the firm revealed it had spent the better part of the past year sending letters to the ministry seeking settlement of outstanding payments — correspondence that, according to Awerco, went entirely unanswered.
The contractor also took aim at what it described as a distorted portrayal of its position on the commissioning process.
Rather than blocking the hospital’s handover, Awerco says it merely flagged procedural concerns and cautioned the ministry that critical protective infrastructure — specifically Uninterruptible Power Supply units and Automatic Voltage Regulators — had not been put in place to shield sensitive medical equipment from damage.
The company further warned that unresolved payment disputes had held up mandatory training sessions for end users, a step it considers non-negotiable before the keys can formally change hands.
Without that training, it cautioned, clinical staff could find themselves operating complex medical machinery they are ill-equipped to handle — a situation it described as a danger both to the project and to future patients.
In a pointed parting shot, Awerco questioned the logic of a ministry that, on one hand, alleges rampant overpricing, yet on the other, presses ahead with efforts to open the very facility it claims was procured improperly.
The firm has given the ministry a 24-hour window to retract the offending portions of its statement, making clear that its lawyers are prepared to pursue every legal avenue available should the deadline pass without action.
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