Dr Ekua Amoakoh, Deputy Spokesperson for former Vice-President and New Patriotic Party (NPP) flagbearer, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, has attributed the persistent “no bed syndrome” in Ghana’s health facilities to the dismantling of the Lightwave Health Information Management System (LHIMS).

In a statement, Dr Amoakoh argued that recent developments in the health sector particularly the introduction of a new digital platform suggest that a system she claims was functional and delivering results has been abandoned.

She further asserted that the sector has retrogressed by nearly two decades, attributing the situation to what she described as the Health Minister’s “blatant incompetence.”

Dr Amoakoh referenced remarks by the Minister of Health, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, who at a media engagement at the Jubilee House announced the rollout of the Ghana Health Information Management System (GHIMS) to replace the suspended LHIMS.

According to her, the minister’s explanation that GHIMS would eliminate manual medical record-keeping effectively confirms that LHIMS had been discontinued.

She maintained that this transition has contributed to inefficiencies in healthcare delivery, including the worsening “no bed syndrome.”

She also rejected government claims that LHIMS suffered from procurement irregularities and technical shortcomings.

In particular, she disputed assertions that the $100 million contract awarded in 2019 to connect 950 health facilities had significantly underperformed.

West Africa advances regional biomanufacturing regulation

Dr Amoakoh stressed that Ghana is now committing substantial public resources to developing new digital systems despite similar capabilities already existing within LHIMS.

She described this as a duplication of effort and a waste of scarce national resources.

According to her, LHIMS was designed as an integrated, end-to-end digital health platform capable of real-time coordination across facilities, including tracking bed availability nationwide.

Its abandonment, she argued, has undermined patient management and contributed to patients being referred between facilities without confirmation of available space.

She further contended that explanations offered to justify the discontinuation of LHIMS instead point to what she described as a systematic dismantling of a functioning digital health infrastructure.

Dr Amoakoh dismissed claims that only 450 out of the targeted 950 facilities had been connected as a misleading narrative aimed at discrediting the system.

She also rejected allegations of equipment shortages and substandard installations, describing them as part of a broader attempt to undermine LHIMS.

Additionally, she downplayed concerns over a contractor’s refusal to hand over administrative access previously described by authorities as “blackmail” arguing that such issues should have been resolved within the existing framework rather than leading to a complete overhaul.

She criticised the decision to replace LHIMS with a new state-owned platform, along with plans for a National Health Information Exchange, stating that these moves represent a disruption rather than progress.

According to her, proposed integrations such as linking with the National Health Insurance Authority database and enabling nationwide access to patient records were already being implemented under LHIMS prior to its suspension.

Dr Amoakoh also raised concerns about the rapid rollout of the new system across teaching hospitals, regional facilities and lower-tier institutions, warning that the transition has created operational gaps.

She further pointed to the referral of audit findings to investigative bodies as part of what she described as an effort to delegitimise LHIMS.

In her view, these developments have collectively contributed to the resurgence of the “no bed syndrome,” straining hospital coordination and limiting the system’s ability to manage patient flow effectively.

Meanwhile, a leaked confidential document submitted to the Ghana Health Service has intensified scrutiny over the country’s digital health transition.

The document outlines an ambitious plan to deploy an Integrated National Laboratory Information System (INLIS) within just seven months.

Prepared by MedTrack Technologies Limited and marked “Confidential & Proprietary,” the document proposes an “Accelerated Deployment” model compressing an initial 39-month timeline into a significantly shorter implementation window.

The plan details a “hyper-parallel execution model,” where planning, development, and testing phases occur simultaneously, rather than sequentially. Technical development is expected to begin as early as the third week, even before requirements gathering is completed.

According to the document, pilot rollout is scheduled for the fifth month, leaving limited time for system stabilisation and user adaptation before nationwide deployment.

It further states that the project’s success depends on an “accelerated governance model,” requiring the Ghana Health Service to respond to approvals and stakeholder coordination within 24 to 48 hours.

The document acknowledges significant risks, noting that compressing a three-and-a-half-year project into seven months presents major implementation challenges.

It warns that even minor delays such as a one-week setback could have substantial consequences for the overall timeline.

It also places heavy demands on the Ghana Health Service, including the immediate availability of regional directors, laboratory heads and technical personnel, as well as rapid decision-making processes.

Beyond concerns about feasibility, the document raises broader questions about policy continuity and resource utilisation within Ghana’s health sector.

The INLIS system is expected to include laboratory data management, integration with DHIS2 platforms, and real-time reporting capabilities features analysts say are not entirely new.

This has sparked debate over whether Ghana is investing in parallel systems rather than strengthening existing infrastructure, particularly as healthcare facilities continue to face operational challenges.

The document also highlights risks related to stakeholder engagement, approval bottlenecks, and system integration.

It cautions that any expansion in project scope could derail the timeline, prompting a strict policy to defer additional features beyond the initial phase.



AM

Watch the final journey of Tema helicopter crash victims after state funeral