Residents of Weija Gbawe in the Greater Accra Region have staged a protest over the continued closure of a fully completed Children’s Specialist Hospital, calling for its immediate operationalisation.

The demonstrators, who took to the streets on Tuesday, 5 May, dressed predominantly in red and black and carried placards with various inscriptions. They expressed frustration that the facility, completed about two years ago, remains unused despite pressing healthcare needs in the area.

According to the protesters, the delay is limiting access to quality healthcare for children, contributing to congestion in nearby facilities and, in some cases, preventable deaths.

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Some residents also pointed to lost employment opportunities, particularly for trained health professionals, as the hospital remains idle.

In an interview with JoyNews, one protester, a pharmacy graduate, said: “I’m here purposely because I want this facility to be open. I studied pharmacy in school, now I’m a graduate, and I’m home doing nothing. This facility must be open so that I can get the opportunity to work and attend to patients. That is why I am here.”

Another resident highlighted the challenges families face in accessing specialised paediatric care due to the closure.

“I want the government to open this facility because our children are suffering. Sometimes, the traffic you go through before getting to a children’s hospital is too much. So we plead with the government to intervene,” the resident said.

A third protester insisted the hospital is fully equipped and ready for use.

“The facility was completed about two years ago, and I have had the opportunity to enter. Everything is in order and ready. Even the environment alone can help with the healing process of a child, so we don’t understand why it is not operational,” the protester noted.

The Member of Parliament for Weija-Gbawe, Jerry Ahmed Shaib, also expressed concern about the delay, describing the situation as unacceptable.

He stated that the 120-bed facility is fully equipped with key infrastructure, including a CT scanner, laboratories, three theatres, and a mother’s hostel, and should not remain idle.

“I feel very sad about the situation. I have been here on numerous occasions. You can imagine how much money we are paying just to keep the lights on and maintain equipment like the CT scan. You can also imagine the lives we’ve lost,” he said.

Mr Shaib further recounted visiting a nearby hospital where a patient was receiving oxygen while seated due to a shortage of beds, despite the availability of the completed facility.

“This is a facility that has a 120-bed capacity, with a mother’s hostel and three major theatres. Everything is ready. There is no reason for it not to be operational,” he added.

He cautioned against politicising the opening of the hospital, stressing that healthcare delivery should take precedence over partisan considerations.

Residents are urging the government to urgently commission and operationalise the facility to ease pressure on existing health centres and improve access to specialised care for children in the area.