By Samira Larbie
Accra, Oct 31, GNA- Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia has launched the National E-Health project, aimed at revolutionizing healthcare service delivery in Ghana by transitioning patient records from analogue to electronic formats.
The pioneering E-Health digital solution, the first of its kind in Africa, has been developed with a focus on security, reliability, and availability.
It is being implemented by the Lightwave Health Information Management System (LHIMS) with the Ministry of Health.
The application facilitates the creation of a comprehensive electronic medical record and patient management system, integrating protocols from Ghana’s Disease Surveillance Unit.
As part of the initiative, patient records in all teaching, regional, and district hospitals have been digitized, and those facilities are now interconnected to ensure seamless electronic access to patient information across different hospitals.
Patients being referred from one hospital to the other, regardless of location or region, would no longer have to carry their files to the new hospital they were visiting.
Dr. Bawumia highlighted that the fourth industrial revolution has driven significant technological advancements that have transformed various sectors, including healthcare.
However, he noted that many developing countries, including Ghana, had historically struggled to fully leverage the opportunities presented by the digital revolution, insisting that that narrative was changing under the New Patriotic Party (NPP) government’s digitalization agenda, which had been championed over the past eight years.
“Through the government’s resolve to change this narrative, I have spearheaded several initiatives aimed at leveraging digital technologies to enhance government service delivery, revenue mobilization, tackle corruption, and enhance financial inclusion and innovation in Ghana.
“Notable among some of these initiatives I’ve championed include the Ghana Card, the digital address system, the Ghana Post GPS, and mobile money interoperability.
“Additionally, I have championed the universal QR code payment system, the people-led support system, and the Ghana.gov e-services project,” Dr Bawumia added.
Dr. Bawumia outlined several key initiatives the government has implemented in the health sector, including the Ghana Card at Birth project, the national e-pharmacy platform, the digital renewal system for National Health Insurance subscribers, the Zipline drone-based medical delivery project, and the Lightwave Health Information Management System as part of the national e-health project.
He noted that previously, Ghana faced challenges such as limited and timely access to patient health records, difficulties in transferring patient records between service points, outdated silo systems, issues with tracking and processing revenue, manual health insurance claim submissions, and a lack of comprehensive data for informed decision-making at various levels of health administration.
Dr. Bawumia highlighted that the deployment of the Lightwave Health Information Management System (LHIMS), as part of the national e-health project, has significantly enhanced healthcare delivery in Ghana over the past six years.
He said since its pilot launch in 2017 in the Central region, the application has improved health processes and infrastructure across public health facilities, aligning with the government’s broader digitalization agenda.
“Following a successful pilot of the project in 2018, approval was given for the commencement of phase two in 2019.
“This phase, which is currently ongoing, has seen the deployment of the LHIMS in about 481 health facilities made up of all teaching, regional, district, polyclinic and psychiatric hospitals across all 16 regions.
“This means that currently all the bigger health facilities in Ghana, which include the six teaching hospitals, 10 regional hospitals, 243 district hospitals, three psychiatric hospitals and 50 polyclinics are all deployed with LHIMS with over 1,000 health centres deployment ongoing, he added.
Dr. Bawumia said that the LHIMS had revolutionised patient care in Ghana by enabling easy portability of patient records, eliminating manual record-keeping, and enhancing revenue accuracy.
It has also improved the submission process for National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) claims and reduced waiting times. The system facilitates timely access to crucial epidemic information, aiding in the early detection of disease outbreaks.
He expressed optimism that LHIMS laid a strong foundation for future telemedicine initiatives, potentially leading to significant cost savings in health services.
Dr. Bernard Okoe-Boye, the Minister of Health, praised President Akufo-Addo and Dr. Bawumia for their vision in implementing the LHIMS, noting its significant clinical, operational, technical, and economic benefits for citizens.
He said that 21 million Ghanaians—almost half the population—now had their data captured in the system, with ongoing efforts to achieve 100 per cent coverage.
Mr. Eric Agyei, Project Manager of LHIMS, stressed the project’s relevance, stating that collaboration with the Ministry of Health would lead to a lasting transformation of Ghana’s healthcare system.
He pointed out that the achievements of LHIMS highlighted the transformative power of e-health, positioning Ghana as a leader in healthcare innovation.
GNA