Ghana’s Health Minister, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, has revealed that Lightwave Health Information Management System Limited (LHIMS), the company contracted to manage the country’s electronic medical records platform, received over $77 million — more than 70% of the project’s value — but completed less than half of the contracted work.
Mr. Akandoh made the disclosure during the Government Accountability Series on Wednesday, October 29, as part of efforts to explain the ongoing breakdown of Ghana’s national electronic health management system.
The Health Minister said an audit of the LHIMS contract exposed major performance gaps and contractual irregularities. He accused the company of repeatedly shutting down the health information system, disrupting service delivery in public hospitals and denying the state access to its own medical data.
“The vendor insisted that the data and administrative access should remain under their control. When we refused to remove clauses guaranteeing state ownership, they began switching off the system whenever they pleased,” Mr. Akandoh said.
“This has gone on for months, and the system has been completely down for about two weeks now. If this is not blackmail, I don’t know what it is.”
According to the minister, the disruptions have crippled record-keeping across several regions, forcing hospitals — particularly in the Ashanti Region — to revert to manual processing. Patients have since reported long queues, delays, and challenges accessing medical services.
The Lightwave contract, signed in 2019, was worth $100 million and aimed to connect 950 health facilities nationwide to a single electronic medical records system. However, by the time the project’s extension ended in late 2024, only 450 facilities had been connected.
Despite the poor delivery rate, the contractor had reportedly been paid over 70% of the total sum. The minister described this as a serious breach of accountability and vowed that the state would reclaim control over the infrastructure.
Industry observers note that this case highlights long-standing issues of vendor dependency and weak project oversight in Ghana’s digital health systems — problems that have contributed to service interruptions and inefficiency across multiple public-sector IT projects.
System Failure and Patient Health Frustration
The malfunctioning of the LHIMS platform has left hospitals across the country unable to access patient data electronically, resulting in widespread frustration.
In major cities such as Kumasi, Accra, and Tamale, health workers have reverted to paper-based record systems — a setback that health experts warn could lead to data loss and treatment errors.
Patients interviewed by local media have complained about extended waiting times and missing medical histories. The Ghana Medical Association (GMA) has also called for an urgent review of the government’s e-health strategy to ensure long-term stability and transparency.
To resolve the crisis, the Ministry of Health has launched a new system — the Ghana Health Information Management System (GHIMS) — which will serve as a replacement for the failed platform.
Unlike the previous arrangement that gave a single vendor monopoly control, GHIMS will allow multiple service providers to operate under state supervision.
The transition to GHIMS is expected to take four weeks, starting with teaching hospitals and major regional facilities before rolling out to smaller health centres and CHPS compounds.
“We are opening up the space to multiple service providers so that no single company can hold the nation’s health records to ransom,” Mr. Akandoh said.
The incident has reignited debate about data sovereignty and the risks of outsourcing critical digital infrastructure to private companies.
Cybersecurity and health policy analysts say the LHIMS case underscores the importance of ensuring that all national data is hosted within Ghana and remains under full government control.
Ghana’s broader digitalisation agenda — including initiatives in the education, finance, and transport sectors — faces similar vulnerabilities if systems are not backed by strong contractual safeguards.
The LHIMS controversy mirrors challenges across Africa, where governments struggle to balance public-sector innovation with private-sector partnerships.
According to the African Union’s Digital Transformation Strategy (2020–2030), nearly 40% of ICT-related public projects on the continent fail to meet timelines or deliver expected value due to weak contract management and dependency on foreign or unregulated vendors.
For Ghana, the government’s swift adoption of GHIMS presents an opportunity to reset the nation’s e-health architecture, improve transparency, and protect sensitive patient data.
As investigations continue, the Ministry of Health has pledged to publish a detailed audit report and ensure that lessons learned from the LHIMS project inform future digital initiatives.
While the transition to GHIMS offers hope for stability, experts warn that effective supervision and technical capacity-building will be essential to prevent another breakdown.
The controversy surrounding the NHIS digital system serves as a cautionary tale about the cost of weak oversight and vendor dependence. Ghana’s commitment to restoring public trust in its healthcare infrastructure will depend on how transparently it manages the transition and safeguards public data in the digital era.
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