Former Member of Parliament for the Odododiodio Constituency, Hon. Edwin Nii Lante Vanderpuye, has expressed his dismay at how often public data management is contracted to foreign entities without a Ghanaian component, despite the glaring risk that comes with such arrangements.
Reacting to the issue involving the Ministry of Health and the Lightwave Health Information Management System (LHIMS), Hon. Vanderpuye noted that LHIMS’s strict position and “blackmailing” posture is because it is entirely foreign.
“My problem is, when we put our data in the hands of foreigners to manage, in spite of all the risks involved and in spite of the threats to our personal records and data, I think sometimes it is difficult.
“Why can’t we have Ghanaians, possibly partnering people, with the Ghanaians having control over it? so that when cases like this happen, it becomes very difficult for us to have an in-house discussion.”
Hon. Edwin Nii Lante Vanderpuye, Former Member of Parliament for the Odododiodio Constituency
According to the Minister for Health, Hon. Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, the Lightwave Health Information Management System (LHIMS) is allegedly holding Ghana’s national health data “hostage,” describing the situation as a national security and data sovereignty crisis.
Lightwave Health Information Management System (LHIMS) was contracted by the previous administration to manage hospital records electronically for the ease of record sharing and data transfer across public facilities.
The minister for health now alleges that LHIMS, whose server is said to be based in India, has now allegedly refused to make health records available, despite the government’s efforts at cooperating with them.
Hon. Vanderpuye is of the view that such acts as exhibited by LHIMS, which he described as “blackmailing,” are rooted in the fact that it is entirely foreign controlled.
“If a Ghanaian was the one in charge of this, it becomes easier for us to get him and discuss it as a family. You understand? And then he himself will also have a feeling that his cousin’s, his nephew’s, and his niece’s records are part of what he is handling. But then when we put such dangerous tools in the hands of foreigners, we should respect blackmail like this.”
Hon. Edwin Nii Lante Vanderpuye, Former Member of Parliament for the Odododiodio Constituency
Hon. Vanderpuye noted that the Lightwave Health Information Management System was contracted for the sum of $100 million to manage hospital records and also electronically for the ease of record sharing and patient management data transfer.
He stated that the contract was supposed to have connected 950 health facilities to its management system. However, he stated that as of today, only 450 have been connected to it, leaving an astounding 500 health facilities that were not connected.
Hon. Vanderpuye noted that even though the LHIMS had done less than 50% of its work as contained in the contract (450 out of 950), the then government paid the LHIMS $77 million out of the $100 million, which represents a payment of 77% of the amount in the contract.
He further noted that the government has engaged the management of the Lightwave Health Information Management System (LHIMS), but they have not yielded to the government’s demands.
“I learned the government has even engaged him for some time now, to say, ‘Look, we still have some money for you. If you could come and work out systems whereby we could still be dependent on it. He has refused. It is deliberate blackmail, holding you to ransom, because he knows that that is the only system that you have that you can be dependent on.”
Hon. Edwin Nii Lante Vanderpuye, Former Member of Parliament for the Odododiodio Constituency
Hon. Vanderpuye also stated that as part of the contract, some 18 million is unaccounted for, adding that LHIMS provided some substandard laptops instead of the HP laptops, as it was required to do.
He emphasized that all these activities being revealed show that there was a lack of efficient supervision and oversight over the management of that contract.
“Whatever we should do in order to make sure that this guy accounts for that part of the contract that he’s been paid for but not delivered, we should do.” He stated.
He therefore emphasized that those who handed out the contract and LHIMS should be made to answer to the alleged alarming revelations about the contract.
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