The African Media and Malaria Research Network (AMMREN), Ghana Health Service (GHS), and the African Leaders Malaria Alliance (ALMA) have urged the media to play a stronger role in amplifying community concerns and promoting accountability in healthcare delivery. This call was made during a virtual engagement with journalists on the Community Scorecard Project in Ghana on Wednesday, September 30, 2026. The project aims to provide a platform for community members and health facility staff to jointly assess the quality of health services, identify gaps, and agree on solutions.
According to Dr. Charity Binka, Executive Secretary of AMMREN, improving healthcare delivery requires not only effective systems but also access to information, effective communication, and sustained public engagement. She emphasized that the media has a critical responsibility to bring community concerns to the attention of health authorities and ensure that challenges affecting service delivery receive public attention. AMMREN is committed to bridging the gap between health research, policy, communities, and the media.
Dr. Binka noted that informed communities, engaged health workers, and well-equipped journalists are essential to building health systems that are responsive and accountable to the people. She expressed appreciation to ALMA, Hope for Future Generations (HFFG), and the West Africa Programme to Combat AIDS and STI (WAPCAS) for their participation in the initiative. The Community Scorecard approach brings community members and health facility staff together to assess services, identify weaknesses, and develop solutions aimed at improving healthcare delivery.
The Director of the relevant GHS division, Dr. Samuel K. Boakye-Boateng, described the media as a bridge between communities, health managers, policymakers, and the wider public. He pledged the GHS's commitment to engaging openly with journalists, sharing evidence, and explaining challenges affecting healthcare delivery. Dr. Boakye-Boateng said stronger collaboration between the health service and the media would help ensure that information on healthcare delivery reaches the public and that community concerns are properly communicated to the relevant authorities.
A presentation at the engagement showed that the project had so far trained 80 regional facilitators and 52 journalists. It said 685 of the targeted 1,850 Community-based Health Planning and Services (CHPS) zones had been trained, while 47 of the targeted 135 district hospitals had also received training. The project is facing challenges, including inconsistent quarterly reporting and delays in the release of funds.
The four-year project is being implemented in partnership with the GHS and with funding from Expertise France. The project provides a platform for community members and health facility staff to jointly assess the quality of health services, identify gaps, and agree on solutions. This approach aims to improve healthcare delivery by ensuring that community concerns and feedback are taken into account.
The media engagement is part of a broader effort to promote accountability and transparency in healthcare delivery in Ghana. By working together, AMMREN, GHS, ALMA, and the media can help ensure that healthcare services are responsive to the needs of communities and that challenges affecting service delivery are addressed.
Key points
- The African Media and Malaria Research Network (AMMREN), Ghana Health Service (GHS), and the African Leaders Malaria Alliance (ALMA) are working together to promote accountability and transparency in healthcare delivery in Ghana.
- The Community Scorecard Project aims to provide a platform for community members and health facility staff to jointly assess the quality of health services, identify gaps, and agree on solutions.
- The project has trained 80 regional facilitators and 52 journalists, and has reached 685 CHPS zones and 47 district hospitals so far.
