Akandoh blasts Lightwave over $100m ‘failed’ health data project

Minister of Health Kwabena Mintah Akandoh has accused technology contractor Lightwaves of underperforming in a $100 million government project to digitise health records across the country, saying the company connected less than half of the targeted facilities despite receiving more than 70% of the contract sum.

Speaking at the Government Accountability Series in Accra on Wednesday, Mr Akandoh said the government signed the deal with Lightwaves in 2019 to connect 950 health facilities under the Lightwave Health Information Management System (LHIMS). The contract, initially set to end in 2022, was extended twice to December 2024.

“Out of the 950 facilities, only 450 had been connected,” the minister said. “Clearly, nobody needs to tell you that the company underperformed.”

He revealed that although less than half of the project was completed, Lightwaves had already been paid about $77 million. An audit by the Ministry of Health, he added, found “gaps in the supply of hardware” with cheaper or fewer computers delivered than specified. The estimated value of missing or substandard equipment stood at $18 million.

Mr Akandoh criticised the company for retaining control over Ghana’s electronic medical data through cloud servers hosted in India. “It is unconscionable for any individual or company to have access to the electronic medical records of Ghanaians without the state taking control,” he said.

According to the minister, the company resisted government requests to hand over administrative access to the system and even shut down parts of it “as and when they desired”.

“If this is not blackmail, I don’t know what it is,” Mr Akandoh said, adding that the matter had been referred to the Attorney-General and security agencies for advice and possible action.

He said the government’s priority was to restore functionality and ensure data sovereignty, stressing, “The medical records of Ghanaians will never go back to our old way. We are moving forward responsibly, confidently and decisively.”