The Ghana Health Service (GHS) has directed hospitals, clinics and other healthcare facilities across the country to temporarily record their October and November 2026 health data manually following the shutdown of the District Health Information Management System (DHIMS2).
The national health reporting platform reportedly went offline on October 29, 2026, after its cloud-hosting provider, Akamai, suspended access to all 10 servers over an outstanding payment of US$64,510.95.
According to a JoyNews report, the unpaid hosting bill resulted in the disruption of Ghana’s national health information management system, affecting several digital healthcare services.
In a November 2 memorandum addressed to regional and divisional directors, Ghana Health Service Director-General, Dr Samuel Kaba Akoriyea, confirmed the development and assured healthcare workers that the shutdown had not resulted in a cybersecurity breach or data loss.
He explained that the latest DHIMS2 backups were made on October 29 and stored separately from the suspended hosting account, ensuring that previously collected health records remain protected.
GHS Directs Hospitals to Use Manual Health Data Recording
Under the temporary arrangement, hospitals, health centres and other healthcare facilities have been instructed to continue completing patient registers and monthly health information summary forms manually.
The directive is intended to ensure that October and November 2026 health statistics are properly documented and can be uploaded into DHIMS2 once the national health reporting platform becomes operational again.
Dr Akoriyea further instructed district and regional health information officers to organise and preserve the completed forms according to healthcare facility and reporting month.
The District Health Information Management System serves as Ghana’s central platform for collecting, processing and analysing routine health service statistics. Information gathered at healthcare facilities is compiled by health workers before being submitted through district and regional health authorities to national health managers.
The system also plays a critical role in disease surveillance, public health monitoring and healthcare planning.
DHIMS2 Shutdown Affects Disease Surveillance and Other Digital Services
The suspension of DHIMS2 comes at a particularly important time as Ghana intensifies its public health surveillance measures amid an Ebola alert.
The Ministry of Health has announced monitoring arrangements for travellers arriving from Ebola-affected countries, including a 21-day observation period.
Airport and border health screening measures were also strengthened in October as part of efforts to prevent the potential spread of the disease.
Although the electronic passenger health declaration used at airports is a separate port-health system, the shutdown of DHIMS2 has disrupted the routine transmission of health surveillance information from hospitals and districts.
The suspension has also affected the birth-notification gateway, interrupting the electronic exchange of information with the Births and Deaths Registry and the National Identification Authority. SMS notification services have also been disrupted.
Mobile Health Applications Still Operational
Despite the widespread disruption, some mobile health applications remain functional because they can store information offline for later synchronisation.
According to the GHS memorandum, healthcare workers can continue using selected Android applications, including eTracker, which supports family planning and healthcare services.
Other operational mobile tools include supervision checklists, the non-communicable disease tracker, HIV and tuberculosis monitoring applications, as well as the ISRS sample-tracking platform.
However, their browser-based versions remain inaccessible.
Other affected digital platforms include the national planning and budgeting system, the malaria data repository, the inpatient illness and death events log, and the community health information portal.
GHS Previously Warned About DHIMS2 Hosting Funding Challenges
The current disruption has also brought renewed attention to the financial sustainability of Ghana’s digital healthcare infrastructure.
A December 2023 review published by GIZ in collaboration with the Ghana Health Service and Digital Square had already highlighted concerns about the long-term financing of DHIMS2 server hosting.
The assessment indicated that donor-funded projects responsible for financing the platform’s servers had ended, creating uncertainty over how the annual hosting expenses would be covered.
The latest shutdown has therefore raised concerns about the need for sustainable government funding for critical digital health systems in Ghana.
GHS Considers Two Options to Restore DHIMS2
Dr Samuel Kaba Akoriyea outlined two possible solutions for restoring the national health information system.
The first and fastest option involves settling the outstanding US$64,510.95 Akamai hosting bill to reactivate the suspended account and restore the affected systems without rebuilding the existing infrastructure.
The Director-General indicated that the Ghana Health Service was finalising the payment process and had requested assistance from the sector minister to secure the necessary approval.
The second option involves purchasing new servers and rebuilding the affected systems using the available backups.
However, this alternative could take up to six weeks after the necessary equipment arrives, leaving the affected digital healthcare platforms unavailable throughout the restoration process.
Ghana Health Service Considers Moving to Local Server Provider
The GHS is also considering a future transition to a Ghana-based cloud-hosting provider to reduce its dependence on external infrastructure.
Dr Akoriyea explained that any proposed migration would be carefully managed through a controlled transition process.
The plan would include running the existing and new systems simultaneously for a period, alongside a properly funded backup arrangement to strengthen data security and prevent future service interruptions.
Although the Ghana Health Service has outlined its preferred restoration options, no definite date has been announced for the full resumption of DHIMS2 services.
Healthcare facilities have consequently been advised to maintain accurate paper records until the national health reporting platform is restored.
The development highlights the importance of reliable digital infrastructure, sustainable technology funding and effective data management in Ghana’s healthcare delivery system.
Source: newsthemegh.com