The Ghana Health Service (GHS) has suspended access to its electronic health information systems nationwide due to an unpaid cloud hosting bill of $64,510.95. The shutdown, which took effect on October 29, 2026, has affected several digital systems used across the health sector, including the District Health Information Management System (DHIMS2) and the Planning and Budget Management Information System (PBMIS). The cloud hosting provider, Akamai, shut down its servers over outstanding administrative issues.
The shutdown has disrupted several operations across the health service, including data entry, validation, analysis, and report extraction. Health officials have been assured that the shutdown has not resulted in a security breach or loss of data. Nightly encrypted backups of every system are held outside the suspended account and are current to October 29, 2026. The GHS has directed health facilities and districts to continue using paper-based reporting systems to prevent gaps in health reporting.
Several systems have been affected by the shutdown, including eTracker, the Family Planning and Health Care (FPHC) platform, and the Non-Communicable Disease (NCD) tracker. While their Android capture applications can continue operating offline, their web platforms are unavailable. The HIV and tuberculosis trackers, as well as the ISRS sample tracker, have also lost web access and laboratory integration. The National Malaria Data Repository (NMDR) and the Events system for inpatient morbidity and mortality are also among the affected platforms.
The shutdown has interrupted the data-exchange gateway responsible for transmitting birth notifications to the National Identification Authority and the Births and Deaths Registry. To restore the affected systems, the GHS is pursuing two possible routes. The first is to reinstate the existing Akamai account by settling the outstanding balance, which would restore all systems to their previous state without requiring them to be rebuilt. The second option involves procuring new servers and rebuilding the systems using existing backups.
The GHS is finalizing arrangements with Akamai and seeking approval for a payment of $64,510.95 to reinstate the account. The Director-General of the GHS, Dr. Samuel Kaba Akoriyea, has appealed to the sector minister to support efforts to expedite the approval. Once services are restored, the Service will plan any move to a Ghana-based provider as a controlled project, including a parallel run and a funded backup arrangement.
The shutdown has significant implications for the health sector, particularly in terms of data management and reporting. The use of paper-based reporting systems is expected to continue until the electronic systems are restored. The GHS has assured that it is working to restore the systems as quickly as possible and minimize disruptions to healthcare services. The incident highlights the importance of reliable and sustainable digital infrastructure in the health sector.
The GHS is working to restore the affected systems and ensure that healthcare services are not significantly impacted. The incident is expected to inform plans for future digital infrastructure development and backup arrangements. Key systems will be restored once the payment is made or new servers are procured.
Key points
- The Ghana Health Service has suspended its electronic health information systems due to an unpaid cloud hosting bill of $64,510.95.
- The shutdown has affected several digital systems, including DHIMS2 and PBMIS, and disrupted data entry, validation, and reporting.
- The GHS is pursuing two options to restore the systems: reinstating the existing Akamai account or procuring new servers and rebuilding the systems.
