The Ghana Health Information Management Association (GHIMA) has warned that the absence of health information officers in some health facilities threatens the quality, reliability, and timely availability of data needed to save lives and improve healthcare delivery.

The situation risks undermining critical decisions on patient care, resource allocation and health policy, leaving healthcare managers to operate without the accurate information required to address pressing health challenges.

President of the Ghana Health Information Management Association (GHIMA), Richard Delali Ahedor, says the situation is unacceptable, insisting qualified health information officers will ensure proper data management.

Health information is an essential element in healthcare delivery which aids decisions on patient treatment, planning, monitoring, research, resource allocation and policy development depending on the availability of accurate and timely data.

However, in many health facilities across the country, professionally trained personnel are either inadequate, or are lacking.

President of the Ghana Health Information Management Association (GHIMA), Richard Delali Ahedor says addressing the concerns called on the government for immediate recruitment complemented with essential infrastructure and equipment supply.

“This is unacceptable; inadequacy will lead to poor quality of information management, timeliness, consistency, and adequacy. All of those factors will be compromised.

“We are appealing to the government to look at the issue. All facilities should have such officers. Even the facilities that have, don't have computers, sitting positions, offices to manage the facilities. So, recruitment won't be enough, unless all complementary resources are also provided,” he said.

The national president made the remarks at the maiden Regional General Meeting of the Ashanti Regional Chapter of GHIMA, held under the theme, “Implementation of the Ghana Health Information Management System (GHIMS): The Role of the Health Information Practitioner.”

Regional Governor of the Ashanti Regional Chapter of GHIMA, Augustine Agyeman, indicated the chapter remains committed to professional development to strengthen the profession.

He says that the successful implementation of the Ghana Health Information Management System would require skilled personnel and professional commitment besides technological investment.

“Technology alone cannot guarantee the success of the system. The competence, commitment, and professionalism remain fundamental to the successful implementation and sustainability.

“it's important to demonstrate the value of health information management in improving healthcare delivery. It also challenges us to upgrade our knowledge and skills in digital health, information systems, data quality management and emerging technologies,” he said.

Meanwhile, Regional Health Information Officer, Kennedy Nartey, presenting the 2026 Ashanti Regional Health Profile, urged practitioners to make greater use of the data they collect to identify gaps and improve service delivery.

He encouraged health information officers to go beyond data collection and reporting by analysing and applying the information to guide improvements in healthcare services.

“Challenges like lack of registers and non-comprehensive electronic systems, Incomplete data, stress from some private facilities, some services, Data quality at all levels, Inadequate staff and Poor data use.

“We must encourage ourselves to use the data as officers in health. We can assure ourselves that we have quality data and, based on that, we can come up with improvements,” he said.