Health Minister Kwabena Mintah Akandoh has accused the contractors of the Lightwave Health Information Management System (LHIMS) of holding Ghanaians “to ransom” by controlling access to the country’s health data.
Speaking on Asempa FM’s Ekosii Sen show, Mr. Akandoh disclosed that the contractor had the power to switch the national health data system on or off “at will,” disrupting healthcare delivery across the country.
“Our forensic audit revealed a gap of about 18 million dollars. Out of the 77 million dollars they received, about 10 to 11 million was meant for 157 facilities, but only seven were completed. When we tried to engage them to prevent disruptions, they refused to give us access to the data unless we altered the contract terms in their favour,” he stated.
Mr. Akandoh described the situation as unacceptable, revealing that the vendor completely shut down the system for nearly two weeks.
He further announced that a new Ghana Health Information Management System (GHIMS) has been developed to replace LHIMS and will be fully owned by the state.
According to him, the new contract has the backing of the Attorney General to ensure transparency and national control.
“I can assure Ghanaians that as Minister, I won’t take a reckless decision. We have done thorough work, and this time, the system will belong to the state,” he affirmed.
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