The Ministry of Health has attributed the temporary shutdown of the District Health Information Management System (DHIMS2) to a $64,000 debt owed by the Ghana Health Service (GHS) to its cloud hosting provider, explaining that an investigation into the project delayed payment. The Ministry’s spokesperson, Tony Goodman, disclosed the explanation in an interview.

Goodman indicated that the outstanding amount had since been settled following a directive from the Health Minister, allowing the hosting company to restore the platform promptly. He also clarified that the disruption affected DHIMS2 alone and did not compromise the separate hospital information system or the Ministry’s national data repository.

“When a project is under investigation, you must seek permission before making any further payments.”
Ministry’s spokesperson, Tony Goodman

Goodman explained that the GHS could not settle the hosting bill while the project remained under investigation without first securing the required clearance.

*Tony Goodman, Head of Public Relations at the Ministry of Health*

He maintained that the debt would have been cleared earlier if the investigation had not required the Service to obtain permission before releasing additional funds. The outstanding obligation eventually reached $64,000, prompting the hosting company to shut down the servers supporting DHIMS2.

The shutdown disrupted access to the platform, which supports the collection and storage of district-level public health information. Its unavailability raised concerns about access to data used within the health system, although Goodman stressed that other major information platforms remained operational.

Minister Directs GHS to Settle Outstanding Debt

The Ministry’s spokesperson disclosed that the matter was resolved after the Health Minister became aware of the shutdown and instructed the GHS to secure the funds needed to clear the outstanding payment.

Goodman recounted that the GHS had issued a statement the previous day confirming that DHIMS2 was unavailable because the company hosting the system had shut it down. The Minister subsequently directed the Service to find the money and pay the provider.

“When the Minister got wind of it, he quickly asked them to look for the money and pay. That has been done, and as I speak to you, the system has been restored,”
Ministry’s spokesperson, Tony Goodman

The restoration followed settlement of the debt, bringing the interruption to an end. Goodman did not provide further details about the payment arrangements or indicate whether the hosting agreement had been revised following the incident.

DHIMS2 Shutdown Did Not Affect Hospital Record

Goodman sought to distinguish DHIMS2 from the Ghana Health Information Management System used by hospitals to record patient information and manage treatment. He emphasised that the two platforms perform different functions and that the shutdown did not affect the hospital-based system.

DHIMS2 serves as a repository for district-level public health data, supporting the collation of information generated across the health system. Its role is distinct from the system hospitals use to document individual patient information and manage clinical care.

He further clarified that the Ministry’s national data repository was also unaffected by the interruption. That repository collates information from different levels of the health system and continued operating despite the hosting company’s decision to suspend DHIMS2.

Investigation Delayed Payment of Hosting Debt

“Because that particular project was under investigation, they were unable to pay any money to anybody. When a project is under investigation, you must seek permission before making any further payments. So, that is actually what delayed it; otherwise, it would have been paid earlier,”
Ministry’s spokesperson, Tony Goodman

Goodman’s account established that the disruption was confined to DHIMS2 and that the other two information platforms remained available.

The incident nevertheless exposed how an unresolved hosting obligation can interrupt access to a health information platform, particularly when payment processes are constrained by an investigation. The Ministry’s explanation links the delay to the clearance requirement, rather than an inability to identify the outstanding debt.

With the hosting payment settled and DHIMS2 restored, the immediate interruption has been addressed. The account, however, highlights the need for clear payment and approval arrangements when investigations involve projects that support essential health information services.

Maintaining continuity requires responsible financial oversight while ensuring that operational systems are not left without a route for resolving outstanding obligations.