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The Ministry of Health has launched a new digital health information platform, the Ghana Health Information Management System (GHIMS), to replace the troubled Lightwave Health Information Management System (LHIMS). The move follows months of disruptions in the country’s electronic health records network and what the government describes as serious contractual and operational failures under LHIMS.
Speaking at the Government Accountability Series on Wednesday, October 29, Health Minister Kwabena Mintah Akandoh accused the contractors behind LHIMS of both underperformance and “blackmail,” emphasizing that Ghana’s health sector would not revert to manual record-keeping.
“Ghanaians will never go back to the manual way. We are moving forward responsibly, confidently, and decisively. At this point, I would want to share with you the facts — nothing but the facts — as we inherited them,” the Minister said.
Background to the LHIMS Project
Mr. Akandoh explained that in 2019, the government signed a $100 million contract with a company called Lightwave to connect 950 health facilities nationwide through the LHIMS platform.
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The project, initially scheduled for completion in 2022, was extended twice — first to 2023, and later to December 31, 2024 — due to persistent delays.
“At the end of the contract, out of the 950 facilities, only 450 had been connected,” the Minister stated. “A contract meant for three years, extended to five, but delivering less than half of the target — that clearly shows underperformance.”
Despite this limited progress, Mr. Akandoh said over 70% of the total contract sum — about $77 million — had already been paid by the end of 2024.
Audit Findings and Contract Breaches
A forensic audit into the project uncovered significant irregularities in both payments and hardware supplies. The Minister revealed that some of the computers and equipment delivered were substandard and fewer in number than stipulated in the contract.
“If the contract stated HP laptops, cheaper brands were supplied. If it said 100 computers, fewer were delivered. The shortfall in hardware alone amounted to not less than $18 million,” he disclosed.
The audit also raised data security concerns, as the LHIMS cloud infrastructure was hosted outside Ghana, with servers reportedly located in India.
“It is unconscionable for any company to have access to the electronic medical records of Ghanaians without the state having control,” Mr. Akandoh said. “With the data hosted abroad, we had to act.”
Government Action and the Launch of GHIMS
The Ministry has since referred the LHIMS matter to the Attorney-General’s Department and relevant security agencies for legal and security review.
In the meantime, some hospitals have had to temporarily revert to manual record-keeping due to disruptions in the old system, while the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) has reported service downtimes affecting patient access.
The newly introduced GHIMS platform, according to the Minister, is designed to restore stability, ensure data sovereignty, and provide sustainable digital health infrastructure under full government control.
“Our focus is to fix the mess and keep public health facilities running smoothly. Even though we didn’t have any contract with the previous vendor, we indicated readiness to sign a maintenance deal for the 450 facilities already connected. But the software was not owned by the state,” he explained.
“That is why it was called the Lightwave Health Information Management System. With GHIMS, the government is now taking full ownership and control of the system.”
Story By: Afia Ohenewaa Akyerem