Naana Eyiah, Deputy Minister for the Interior, reassured the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of Parliament that the Police Hospital redevelopment project in Accra would soon reach completion. She explained that a disagreement between the Ministry of Finance and the international contractors regarding a withholding tax of €259,931.94 had previously halted progress on the project. Eyiah informed the committee that the Ministry of Finance had resolved the issue by refunding the amount, allowing work on the project to resume without interruption. While she couldn’t provide specific timelines for completion, she emphasized that the contractors would finish the project soon.

The PAC’s inquiries about the project stemmed from the 2021 Auditor-General Report on the public accounts of Ghana’s Ministries, Departments, and Agencies. The report highlighted a contract signed between the government and the International Hospital Group in 2003 for the Police Hospital Redevelopment Project worth €23,738,312.00. Despite being about 75 percent complete, the project had been abandoned for approximately 10 years until discussions on its continuation began in 2017.

Further complications arose due to disagreements over the withholding tax, resulting in another delay. The report recommended collaboration between the Inspector General of Police and the Ministry of Finance through the Ministry of Interior to resolve the tax issue and facilitate the project’s continuation and completion. According to Eyiah, both the Interior and Finance Ministries had addressed the matter as per the report’s recommendations.

Dr. James Klutse Avedzi, PAC Chairman, emphasized that Parliament had waived taxes as part of the loan preconditions for the project, implying that it was inappropriate for the Ministry of Finance to withhold the tax. He urged the Ministry to refund any outstanding amounts owed to the contractors and urged the contractors to resume work promptly to benefit both the police force and the public in terms of healthcare delivery.

Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor, Member of Parliament for South Dayi Constituency, expressed concern about the prolonged delay in completing the project, urging the ministries to prevent its recurrence in future audit reports. He emphasized that the hospital’s completion would alleviate the no-bed syndrome in Accra and contribute significantly to saving lives.