Speaking at the 2025 Virtual Annual General Meeting (AGM), Mr Ahedor said both leadership and practitioners across health facilities were “living witnesses” to the systemic difficulties confronting the profession. 

These challenges, he noted, included inadequate recognition for professional outputs, limited or outdated work resources, and persistent encroachment by other professional groups into core health information management roles. He said the encroachment issue stemmed partly from the “poor historical image” associated with the profession and the absence of a national governance framework to clearly define and safeguard health information management functions. 

These setbacks, he added, have slowed the profession’s growth and left it trailing behind global advancements in health information systems and digital health technologies. “These and many other impediments have left the health information management profession behind the global growth and developmental trend in information technology,” he said. “Leadership will continue to engage employers and regulatory authorities for improved professional security and the necessary policy direction.” 

Dr Hafez Adam Taher, Director of Technical Coordination at the Ministry of Health, commended GHIMA for its foresight in extending an invitation to the Ministry and for championing a virtual AGM format that broadened participation. He said the Ministry recognised GHIMA’s role in advancing data integrity and strengthening national health planning, assuring members of the Ministry’s readiness to collaborate more closely with the Association on initiatives that promote high-quality health information management. 

“Strengthening the profession is essential for improving the quality of healthcare delivery for all citizens,” he said. Members who participated in the virtual AGM expressed appreciation for the format, noting that it eased the financial burden associated with travel and allowed a larger number of practitioners to take part in the Association’s governance processes. However, they raised strong concerns about what they described as the “growing and alarming” encroachment of other professional cadres into defined Health Information Officer roles. 

They urged GHIMA leadership to intensify stakeholder engagements to address the matter, emphasising that such encroachment poses serious legal, ethical, and quality-of-care implications for Ghana’s health sector.