KEY POINTS
- The new Ghana Health Information Management System replaces LHIMS.
- Lightwave received $77 million but linked only 450 facilities.
- Government says the new GHIMS will secure national data.
Ghana’s Ministry of Health has rolled out a new digital health data platform after persistent system failures crippled hospital record-keeping nationwide.
The new Ghana Health Information Management System (GHIMS) replaces the Lightwave Health Information Management System (LHIMS), a $100 million project that fell short of expectations.
GHIMS aims to fix years of poor performance
Health Minister Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, speaking at the Government Accountability Series in Accra, accused the former service provider of underperformance and “blackmail.”
He said the Lightwave contract, signed in 2019 to connect 950 health facilities, was extended twice — yet by 2024, only 450 sites were linked.
“By the time the contract expired, over 70 percent of the funds had been paid, but less than half of the work was done,” Akandoh said.
He revealed that a forensic audit found major irregularities, including the delivery of cheaper hardware and fewer computers than agreed. The gap in equipment value alone was estimated at $18 million.
GHIMS strengthens data control and accountability
The Minister further said the previous system’s cloud servers were hosted abroad, raising data sovereignty concerns. “It’s unacceptable for another country to control Ghanaians’ medical records,” he said. “We had to act.” The Ministry has now referred the matter to the Attorney-General and security agencies.
While some hospitals briefly reverted to manual processes during the transition. Akandoh said the government’s focus is restoring stability through GHIMS, which is fully owned and controlled by the state. “We are not going back,” he finally said. “GHIMS gives Ghana control of its own health data.”
