The Ministry of Health has directed the nationwide rollout of the Ghana Health Information Management System (GHIMS) in November 2025, following recent disruptions to clinical services and patient care across public health facilities.
In a directive dated October 28, 2025, the Ministry said the move was prompted by “recent nationwide service disruptions to the existing clinical information and billing systems,” which have affected patient care, health insurance verification, billing, claims processing, and continuity of care.
The decision follows explanations by the Minister of Health, Mr. Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, in Parliament on Tuesday that the failures were linked to the underperformance of the previous service provider, Lightwave Health Information Management System Limited.
He said the company had been contracted to connect hundreds of health facilities to a unified digital platform but failed to meet key obligations, leaving several hospitals unable to access patient records or process insurance claims.
Mr. Akandoh told Parliament that the government had paid most of the contract sum, yet large parts of the project remained incomplete when the system began to fail.
He also said the breakdown exposed the risks of allowing a private contractor to control critical health data and billing infrastructure, which directly affected services in hospitals across the country.
The new government-managed system, GHIMS, will now serve as the main platform for patient registration, clinical documentation, insurance verification, billing, claims submission to the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA), and continuity-of-care records.
Mr. Desmond Baateng, Chief Director at the Ministry of Health, has been appointed as the National Rollout Lead.
The Ministry has also engaged Axon Information Systems to implement GHIMS and restore full data access under government oversight.
All health facilities listed for implementation have been directed to provide complete cooperation to Ministry deployment teams.
This includes granting access to clinical areas, records units, billing and revenue sections, ICT rooms, and server locations necessary for activation.
Facilities are also required to provide updated staff rosters for user account setup, submit network infrastructure details, release billing and finance desks for integration of payment channels, and ensure that clinical, billing, and records staff are available for on-site training during the first week of implementation.
The directive cautioned that activation must not be delayed or obstructed at any facility.
Mr. Ken Aseye Kutsoati has been named Implementation Partner Lead for Axon Information Systems, while Ms. Sylvia Vortia has been appointed Field Operations and Facility Activation Lead. Both are authorized by the Ministry to oversee the rollout, and their instructions during activation are to be regarded as directives from the Ministry.
The Ministry said GHIMS will serve as the only authorised digital platform for patient registration, clinical management, insurance eligibility checks, billing and receipting, NHIA claims submission, and referral management across the public health system.
