Adinkrah Kusi is the author of this ariticle
Whoever allowed the continuation of the LHIMS system in the CHAG facilities deserves more than national applause, they deserve a grand national award, a standing ovation, and perhaps even a lifetime VIP pass to the gates of paradise.
If heaven ever feels short-staffed, people like Mr Amponsah and Sister Mavis at the CHAG Health Information Department can report for duty at 8:00 a.m. sharp. Their commitment to keeping LHIMS alive is nothing short of angelic.
Because let’s be serious, very, very serious, while the Ghana Health Service is wobbling after the abrupt termination of the LHIMS software, CHAG facilities are gliding smoothly like problem no dey. As about 90% of government facilities return to paper folders like it’s the year 1972, CHAG is operating digitally as if it’s their natural inheritance. The contrast is so sharp it can cut through bureaucracy itself.
Today, the struggles in many public government facilities have unintentionally boosted attendance in nearby CHAG facilities. Patients who are tired of shouting, Nurse, where is my folder? for two hours have found solace in the efficiency of CHAG hospitals.
The queues in some polyclinics alone can frustrate you into full recovery and then trigger a fresh sickness from the stress.
As for whoever masterminded the termination of the system, hmm, that person truly needs deep reflection.
A whole nation moving from computerized records management back to kasa me na me kasa paper-based systems is not just a setback, it is a national disappointment. How do you justify taking a healthcare system from digital efficiency back to dusty folders and exercise books?
The improper termination of the LHIMS software in government facilities has dealt a heavy blow to healthcare delivery across public health institutions in Ghana.
Medical records dating as far back as 2020 have now become inaccessible, leaving doctors, nurses, and administrators helpless in retrieving vital patient history.
This has compromised continuity of care, slowed clinical processes and increased the chances of medical errors, issues that the digital system had significantly reduced.
The ripple effects of the disruption are evident everywhere. Health professionals, once used to seamless electronic records, have now been forced to revert to rudimentary methods: jotting symptoms in exercise books, writing prescriptions by hand and struggling to trace old medical information.
Pharmacies are manually verifying details, laboratories are relying on paper notes, and clerical staff are overwhelmed with folders, many of which mysteriously disappear in the growing chaos.
These inefficiencies have resulted in painfully long queues, frustrated patients and a noticeable decline in the quality of healthcare delivery.
The time spent searching for a single folder could be used to attend to three other patients. The burden on both staff and patients is enormous and the disruptions have exposed the fragility of our public health information systems.
Meanwhile, CHAG facilities, still running LHIMS without interruption, have turned into sanctuaries of order and efficiency.
Their ability to maintain uninterrupted digital services highlights the glaring contrast in leadership decisions between the two systems.
The lesson is simple but important: technology is not a luxury in healthcare; it is a necessity. In a world where nations are investing in artificial intelligence for diagnosis, expanding telemedicine services, and digitizing entire health infrastructures, Ghana cannot afford to take retrogressive steps.
If progress was truly the goal, then the termination of LHIMS should never have happened the way it did. The country must learn from this costly mistake and act swiftly to restore digital health systems before further damage is done.
Until then, CHAG’s decision-makers, especially the heroes behind its Health Information Department—stand tall as examples of vision, consistency, and good judgment. If awards are being shared, their names should be called first. They understood that healthcare in the 21st century must be digital, efficient, and patient-centered not a return to dusty folders and endless queues.
Adinkrah Kusi
Students Academic HuB
Health Information/epidemiology department
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