MoH launches new GHIMS platform after failed $100m digital system

The Ministry of Health has launched a new nationwide digital platform, the Ghana Health Information Management System (GHIMS), to replace the failed Lightwave Health Information Management System (LHIMS), following months of disruption to health data services across the country.

Health Minister Kwabena Mintah Akandoh said the new platform will ensure better control, efficiency, and data security after what he described as years of underperformance and mismanagement by the company behind LHIMS.

“Ghanaians will never go back to the manual way. We are moving forward responsibly, confidently, and decisively,” he said at the Government Accountability Series on Wednesday, October 29.

Mr. Akandoh revealed that in 2019, the government signed a $100 million contract with Lightwave to connect 950 health facilities to LHIMS. However, only 450 facilities were linked after five years, despite two contract extensions.

“A contract meant for three years, extended to five years, but with only 450 facilities delivered, clearly shows the company underperformed,” he stated.

The minister added that while less than half of the target was met, over 70 percent of the contract amount had already been disbursed.

“By December 2024, the vendor had been paid about $77 million out of the $100 million. Clearly, more than 70% of the total amount had been paid, yet less than 50% of the work was done.”

A forensic audit of the project, according to the minister, exposed irregularities in the hardware supply, including substandard and incomplete deliveries.

“If the contract stated that HP laptops should be supplied, cheaper brands were delivered. If it said 100 computers, fewer were supplied. The gap in hardware alone was not less than $18 million,” he disclosed.

Mr. Akandoh also raised national security concerns over the system’s data storage arrangement, saying, “It is unconscionable for any company to have access to the electronic medical records of Ghanaians without the state having control. With the cloud infrastructure built somewhere in India, we had to act.”

He said the Ministry has referred the matter to the Attorney-General’s Department and security agencies for further investigation.

Meanwhile, disruptions in the old LHIMS have forced some hospitals to return temporarily to manual record-keeping.

The Health Minister assured that the new GHIMS platform would restore stability and safeguard data sovereignty.

“As a Ministry, our concern was to find a solution to this mess,” he said. “We are now taking full control.”