The Lightwave Health Information Management System (LHIMS) contract, signed under the previous administration, has been forwarded to the Attorney General for legal advice and further action.
Speaking during the Government Accountability Series on Wednesday, October 29, Health Minister Kwabena Mintah Akandoh revealed that investigations by his ministry uncovered major breaches in the execution of the Lightwave contract.
Although the contractor delivered less than half of the planned health facility connections, it received over $77 million, representing more than 70 percent of the total contract sum, Mr. Akandoh said.
To address the system’s failures and ensure seamless healthcare operations nationwide, the government has developed a new platform — the Ghana Health Information Management System (GHIMS) — to replace the malfunctioning LHIMS.
“Since we began this journey, all stakeholders have been on board. From the CEOs of the teaching hospitals, the medical superintendent, EOCO, the Attorney General, Minister for Communication, everybody has been on board. So the issue of legality and security issues has been referred to the Attorney General for advice and appropriate action,” the Minister explained.
Mr. Akandoh also disclosed that the Lightwave contract was never presented to Parliament for consideration and accused the vendor of failing to act in good faith, complicating renegotiation efforts.
The government has directed Lightwave to hand over the system and its infrastructure to the state, but this process was complicated by the system being hosted on a cloud platform in India, limiting Ghana’s control over its operations.