Health Minister Announces Four-Week Plan to Restore Digital Health System

Health Minister Kwabena Mintah Akandoh has unveiled a four-week strategy to address the ongoing issues affecting the country’s electronic healthcare management system.

During a Government Accountability Series event on Wednesday, October 29, the Minister revealed that the government has procured a new platform, the Ghana Healthcare Information Management System, to resolve the current disruptions and ensure the continuity of healthcare services.

The breakdown of the National Health Insurance Authority’s (NHIA) electronic hospital management system was attributed to Lightwave Health Information Management System Limited, the private company previously contracted to manage the platform. Akandoh confirmed that various health facilities would be gradually migrated to the new system over the next four weeks.

“The plan is to start in the first week by migrating teaching hospitals, regional hospitals, and high-population district hospitals onto the new system. In the second week, we’ll move to the remaining district hospitals, and by the third week, we’ll begin with clinics, health centers, and CHPS compounds,” he said. “I’m confident that this four-week plan will resolve the current issues.”

The disruption has led to significant delays in record-keeping and patient processing, particularly in the Ashanti Region, where many hospitals have reverted to manual operations. Patients have expressed frustration over long waiting times and slower service delivery.

Minister Akandoh assured the public that the government is committed to restoring and strengthening the country’s digital health infrastructure. “We will never return to the manual system for medical records. We are moving forward — responsibly and decisively,” he emphasized.

Contract Failures and Performance Issues

Explaining the root cause of the breakdown, Akandoh revealed that the government had signed a $100 million contract with Lightwave in 2019 to connect 950 health facilities nationwide to a unified digital health records platform. The contract, which was set to end in 2022, was poorly executed, leading to multiple extensions, the latest of which extends until December 31, 2024. However, by the end of the contract period, only 450 out of the planned 950 facilities had been connected.

“The company clearly underperformed,” Akandoh remarked, highlighting the failure to meet the contractual obligations.

State Takeover and Audit Findings

Upon taking office, the government requested that Lightwave transfer control of the system and its infrastructure to the state as stipulated in the contract. However, challenges arose because the system was hosted on cloud infrastructure in India, limiting Ghana’s access and control over the data.

“The contract had expired, but the vendor was still reluctant to hand over control. It was unacceptable that the state had no access to the medical records of its citizens,” Akandoh explained.

A forensic audit conducted after the takeover revealed significant deficiencies in both the system’s functionality and the hardware supplied under the contract.

Minister Akandoh emphasized that the Ministry is working diligently to restore the electronic health management system and prevent future failures. He also reassured the public that future digital health projects would be executed with greater transparency, oversight, and accountability.