NHIS reverts to manual processes amid LHIMS crisis

Ghana’s much-touted digital health agenda is facing a major setback, as the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) scrambles to revert to manual and semi-digital systems following the disruption of the Lightwave Health Information Management System (LHIMS).
At the heart of the crisis is Lightwave eHealthcare Solutions Limited, the private firm that has operated the LHIMS platform for over a decade. Despite its consistent service in digitizing patient records, streamlining claims processing, and supporting healthcare delivery nationwide, Lightwave has been left in financial limbo due to prolonged non-payment of invoices by the Ministry of Health.
Despite the NHIA CEO, Dr. Victor Asare Bampoe’s, intervention and assurance to work with the minister of health to bring a resolution, the ministries proposed draft agreement fell short of Lightwave’s expectations for a sustainable and fair partnership. Consequently, the company had to restructure its staffing and resources, resulting in significant disruptions to some hospitals and clinics reliant on the LHIMS. In the wake of this disruption, the NHIS has no option to announce a reversion to older, less efficient systems in an internal memo to the Director-General of the Ghana Health Service (GHS).
While framed as a temporary solution, the move reveals a deeper issue: the government’s failure to build a resilient and well-supported digital infrastructure for healthcare. Instead of resolving the core financial dispute in a transparent and timely manner, the Ministry of Health has added additional burden onto already strained health facilities, many of which are now forced to juggle multiple platforms with limited resources and minimal training.
What’s more, there is little accountability in how the NHIS and Ministry of Health are handling the crisis. Rather than resolve the payment dispute and restore LHIMS functionality through proper engagement and transparency, institutions are improvising—risking patient data, delaying claims reimbursement, and increasing the administrative burden on healthcare workers.
Lightwave, for its part, has reaffirmed its commitment to healthcare delivery, even reinstating furloughed staff over the weekend in a bid to restore services.