The Accra Psychiatric Hospital has not been sold to Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta contrary to reports to that effect by the Herald newspaper, Health Minister Kwaku Agyemang-Manu has said.

In its Monday, 14 March 2022 edition, the paper reported that the management of the hospital told the staff at a recent durbar that the land on which the facility sits “has been sold to some foreign investors linked to the Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta”.

“They have been told that the foreign investors will take over the facility by June this year, hence they should start psyching themselves up in readiness to leave the place – a state land,” the paper published.

A Facebook rebuttal of the story was, however, posted on Facebook by the minister, saying: “The story making rounds that the Accra Psychiatric Hospital has been sold is not TRUE”.

“It hasn’t been sold”, the post said, explaining: “It is to be redeveloped under Agenda 111 into a new modern 220-bed Psychiatric Hospital under an EPC Contract”.

“Tenders have been received and are being evaluated currently. Afterwards, it will go for VFM, Cabinet and loan will go for Parliamentary approval,” the Minister's post said.

He announced: “Staff might be relocated to Pantang to make way for redevelopment but the authorities will ensure that until and unless all steps toward getting the contractor onto the site are completed and [the] contractor is ready to commence work, there will be no relocation.”