Former Minister of Health, Dr. Bernard Okoe-Boye, has raised serious concerns over the government’s decision to replace the Lightwave Health Information Management System (LHIMS) with the newly introduced Ghana Health Information Management System (GHIMS), warning that the move could result in financial losses for the state.
In an interview on Adom FM’s Dwaso Nsem, Dr. Okoe-Boye claimed that GHIMS, despite its name, is not a state-owned system but a private company, much like Lightwave, and alleged that the rebranding was intended to create the impression that the platform is government-controlled.
“Lightwave is already a Ghanaian company, and data ownership has always rested with the Republic of Ghana. The so-called new company coming on board is a private company with a name. Because the Minister knows maintaining it will be problematic, he has changed the name to Ghana Health Information Management System (GHIMS),” he stated.
He cautioned that the transition could lead to the government paying twice for similar work already executed by Lightwave under the previous contract.
“What the Minister has done is that the money that would have been paid for peace to prevail is now going to the new company. I weep because if this company was going to work on 500 health facilities, then I would have said let’s assess and see if they have the know-how like Lightwave did,” Dr. Okoe-Boye said.
The former Ledzokuku MP further criticised the Ministry’s approach, alleging that GHIMS had digitised fewer than five facilities and lacked any nationwide pilot project.
“GHIMS has digitised fewer than five facilities and has no nationwide pilot, yet it is being positioned to redo eight years of work already completed by Lightwave,” he noted.
Dr. Okoe-Boye warned that replacing the Lightwave system could result in the duplication of work and unnecessary expenditure, as the new company is expected to retrain health workers who had already undergone training under the Lightwave project.
He also suggested that the current Health Minister, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, may have taken a personal stance against Lightwave based on his recent comments.
“With what is going on, it seems the Minister has a personal issue from his statements and demeanour. If care is not taken, Ghana will end up paying double,” he cautioned.
The Lightwave contract, initially introduced to digitise Ghana’s health records, has come under renewed scrutiny after the Ministry of Health announced plans to replace it with GHIMS. While the Ministry insists the move is part of efforts to enhance data security and improve efficiency, critics argue it could undermine previous investments and expose the state to additional costs.
Source: Gertrude Otchere
ALSO READ: