A civil society group has called for an immediate audit and operationalisation of a completed children’s hospital in Weija, warning that delays risk wasting public funds and worsening healthcare access.

Centre for Democratic Movementconvener Samuel Doku said the facility — reportedly funded under a World Bank-backed COVID-19 emergency programme — is fully constructed and equipped but remains unused.

“From the videos we have seen, the facility is completed and ready for opening,” Doku told the Asaase Breakfast Show on Monday (26 May).

The government has attributed the delay to concerns over possible contract inflation, a claim the contractor has denied, leaving the project in limbo.

Doku said the group is demanding a forensic audit into the procurement process while urging authorities to open the hospital in parallel.

“We cannot allow such an investment to go to waste while investigations continue,” he said.

Residents in the area, he added, are already bearing the cost of the delay, with families reportedly travelling long distances to access paediatric care.

The situation has also raised broader concerns about public spending efficiency at a time of economic strain.

“It doesn’t send the right signal as a country when a project of this scale sits idle,” Doku said, noting that unemployed nurses could be deployed to staff the facility.

The group says it will escalate pressure if the government fails to act, although no formal deadline has been issued.