The Ministry of Health has launched a new digital platform, the Ghana Health Information Management System (GHIMS), to oversee and streamline health data nationwide following major disruptions in the existing system.
GHIMS replaces the Lightwave Health Information Management System (LHIMS), which the government says failed to meet expectations.
Speaking at the Government Accountability Series on Wednesday, October 29, Health Minister Kwabena Mintah Akandoh criticized the company behind LHIMS for poor performance and what he described as attempts at blackmail.
“Ghanaians will never return to the manual system. We are moving forward responsibly, confidently, and decisively,” the Minister said.
Mr. Akandoh revealed that in 2019, the government signed a $100 million contract with Lightwave to connect 950 health facilities under LHIMS. The contract, initially scheduled to end in 2022, was extended twice—first to 2023 and then to December 31, 2024—due to project delays.
“At the end of the contract, only 450 out of 950 facilities had been connected,” he noted, describing the outcome as clear underperformance.
Despite this, he said, over 70 percent of the total contract value had already been paid—about $77 million of the $100 million.
A forensic audit, according to the Minister, uncovered major irregularities, including shortfalls in hardware supply and substitution of cheaper equipment.
“For instance, the contract specified HP laptops, but lower-quality brands were supplied. If 100 computers were required, fewer were delivered. The shortfall in hardware alone exceeded $18 million,” he disclosed.
Mr. Akandoh also expressed concern over data security, stating that the system’s cloud infrastructure was hosted outside Ghana.
“It is unacceptable for a private company to control Ghanaians’ medical data when the state has no authority over it. The servers were located in India, which made immediate action necessary,” he said.
The Ministry has referred the matter to the Attorney-General’s Department and relevant security agencies for further investigation.
Meanwhile, disruptions in the LHIMS system have forced some health facilities to revert temporarily to manual record-keeping, while the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) has also reported service interruptions.
Mr. Akandoh assured the public that the government is focused on restoring stability through the new GHIMS platform.
“As a Ministry, we sought a lasting solution. Although we had no valid contract with the vendor, we were willing to sign a maintenance agreement for the 450 facilities. But the software wasn’t state-owned—that’s why it was called the Lightwave Health Information Management System. We are now taking full control,” he emphasized.