The Member of Parliament for the North Tongu Constituency, Hon. Samuel Ablakwa Okudzeto, has accused the government of neglecting the shambolic state of the health sector in favor of a “duplicative” digitalization initiatives that cost GH₵ 2.67 billion.
He indicated that the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) has recently submitted a 2024 allocation formula to Parliament which unpatriotically prioritizes digitization over health provision.
He stated that the allocation formula includes: Biometric ID Cards and Authentication Systems — GHS405.74 million; Management Information Systems — GHS343.92 million; Capturing of Claims Data — GHS112 million; Ministry of Health (Health Provider – E-Health Solution) — GHS80million.
It also comprises, Claims Processing Centers and E-Claims — GHS76 million; Archival System and Document Management— GHS38.58 million; Telecare Services Platform — GHS30 million; Transfer of Data from NIA GHS10million and E-Pharmacy — GHS11million.
“The NHIA’s dubious and duplicative digitalization expenditure for 2024 alone amounts to an incredible GH₵ 1,107,240,000. Should a struggling health insurance scheme which is unable to pay claims on time, is owing hospitals, operating in dilapidated hospitals without critical equipment, be spending over GH₵ 1.1 billion on non-core interventions in the name of digitalization?”
Hon. Samuel Ablakwa Okudzeto
Furthermore, Hon. Ablakwa Okudzeto claimed that while the NHIA allocated over GH₵ 1.1 billion in 2024 to digitalization deals, it allocated only a paltry GH₵ 2 million for desperate dialysis patients.
He indicated that his investigation into the NHIA revealed that most of the items the NHIA is spending over a billion Cedis on are already catered for in another GH₵ 1.3 billion contract awarded in 2017 by the Ministry of Health to a company known as Lightwave eHealthcare Solutions Limited.
He stated that the Lightwave deal encompasses a centralized data center with 24-hour recovery, networking, and connectivity of all hospitals clinics, and community health clinics in every region/district/sub-district in Ghana.
The contract he noted also covers the Networking of all agencies, providing electronic medical records, developing real-time bio-surveillance systems, developing patient management systems, NHIS Integration platform, and developing a centralized laboratory system.
The Member of Parliament further disclosed that the former Minister of Health, Kwaku Agyeman-Manu, had signed a letter addressed to the Ghana Health Service Director General confirming the ministry’s engagement of Lightwave.
He noted that the letter indicated how the rollout will ensure that “hospital data is integrated with the claims management system of the National Health Insurance Scheme.
Government To Account
Moreover, Hon. Samuel Okudzeto demanded an explanation from the government on why the government will use taxpayers’ money to pay over GH₵ 2.6 billion Cedis on wasteful digitalization deals at the NHIA and Lightwave when there are more important and basic unresolved challenges in the health sector.
“Strangely, the then Health Minister’s 2nd June 2017 letter practically killed the businesses of all other Electronic Medical Records (EMR) and Patient Management System (PMS) providers in the space, considering that all heads of facilities were warned in the minister’s letter not to renew any existing EMR contract”.
Hon. Samuel Ablakwa Okudzeto
More so, Hon. Okudzeto alleged that the Lightwave bill is still active and continues to cost Ghanaians a fortune as the government in 2023 paid it a whopping sum of GH₵ 246.8 million for digitalization although the government could not raise GH₵ 4 million to save dialysis patients.
“Additional evidence of how active the US$ 100 million Lightwave deal is can be gleaned from the recent 29th February 2024 letter signed by Ghana Health Service Director General, Dr. Patrick Kuma-Aboagye addressed to selected regional health directors”. Hon. Okudzeto noted
He indicated that he is not the only one concerned with the high expenditure recorded as a result of the digitization in the health sector as the Minister of Communication had initially raised concerns too.
He noted that the Minister of Communications, Hon. Ursula Owusu-Ekuful, promptly issued a strongly worded notice to all Ministries, Departments, and Agencies condemning the act and warning them to consult NITA before engaging in these costly digitalization procurements.
The Member of Parliament noted that the Communications and Digitalization Minister’s notice was ignored then, and continues to be ignored to this day, as the digitalization drive has become the new conduit for create-loot-and-share schemes.
Conclusively, Hon. Okudzeto disclosed that Parliament before going on recess, ordered a parliamentary probe into all the alarming digitalization contracts within the health sector. He showed his delight in the Parliament’s decision to investigate the waste of taxpayers’ monies on dubious digitizing goals.
