The Minister of Health, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, has hit back at his predecessor, Dr. Bernard Okoe Boye, over remarks concerning the troubled Lightwave Health Information Management System (LHIMS) project, describing him as part of the problem confronting the Ministry.
The rebuttal follows Dr. Okoe Boye’s criticisms of Akandoh’s handling of the project and plans to transfer the contract to a new vendor.
Speaking in an interview on Citi Eyewitness News on Thursday, October 30, Mr. Akandoh expressed surprise at the former minister’s comments.
“I am exceedingly surprised that Okoe Boye should even be talking at this point in time because, to put it bluntly, he is part of the mess we are facing at the moment,” he said.
Earlier, at a Public Accounts Committee sitting, the Health Minister also accused Dr. Boye of authorising an overpayment to the LHIMS contractor. He claimed the vendor received more than US$77 million—over 70 percent of the total contract amount—despite delivering less than half of the expected work.
According to Mr. Akandoh, official records show that as of December 2024, there remained an unutilised advance of US$10.6 million yet to be expended by the contractor. He emphasised that the contract did not allow for pre-payments, adding that funds should only be released upon verified completion of work.
“This is not a pre-payment procedure. You pay as and when the job is executed. So if you have paid more than the work done, it means you have been overpaid,” he told the committee.
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