Lightwave E-Healthcare Solutions Limited has strongly rejected claims by Health Minister Kwabena Mintah Akandoh that Ghana’s medical data under the National E-Healthcare Programme is controlled from India. The company described the Minister’s comments, made in Parliament on October 28 and at the Presidential Accountability Series on October 29, as incorrect and harmful to public confidence.
In a statement, Lightwave clarified that all data generated through the Lightwave Health Information Management System (LHIMS) is stored on servers owned and managed by the Ministry of Health in Accra. The company said it only provides licensed software, while the government retains full ownership and control of all health records.
“The healthcare data of Ghanaians is the property of the Government of Ghana and is stored within the Ministry of Health’s servers in Accra,” the company stated.
Lightwave outlined the history of the project, beginning with the first phase in 2016 under President John Mahama, which cost US$6 million and connected 23 facilities in the Central Region. A second contract worth US$100 million was signed in March 2019 to expand the system to 950 facilities nationwide. Costs were based on the complexity of institutions, with teaching hospitals requiring more infrastructure and accounting for 21 percent of the budget.
By December 2024, the company had completed installations in teaching hospitals, regional hospitals, and hundreds of district hospitals, representing 72 percent of the contract value and aligning with the US$77 million already paid.
Lightwave attributed delays to late government payments, administrative bottlenecks, COVID-19 disruptions, and supply chain challenges. The company emphasised that all hardware supplied met contractual standards and dismissed claims of shortages.
Lightwave added that it continued providing support after the contract expired in December 2024 without renewal or payment. Through its solicitors, it has requested arbitration and access to all investigation reports, calling for an evidence-based review of the project free from misinformation.
