The African Media and Malaria Research Network (AMMREN) has called for stronger community participation, effective communication and sustained public engagement to improve accountability and responsiveness within Ghana’s health service delivery system.
The call was made by the Executive Secretary of AMMREN, Dr Charity Binka, in her welcome address at a webinar on the Community Scorecard Project held on Wednesday, September 30, 2026.
The webinar brought together representatives of the Ghana Health Service’s Planning, Policy, Monitoring and Evaluation (PPME) Division, development partners, journalists, media practitioners and other stakeholders to discuss the Community Scorecard approach and its potential to strengthen engagement between communities and health service providers.
Dr Binka said AMMREN is particularly pleased to organise the engagement in collaboration with the Ghana Health Service, PPME Division, with support from the Expertise France 5% Initiative Grant.
According to her, improving accountability in health service delivery requires more than institutional systems, stressing that communities must have access to relevant information and opportunities to participate meaningfully in decisions affecting healthcare.
She explained that the Community Scorecard approach provides a platform for community members and health service providers to jointly identify challenges, establish priorities and contribute to measures aimed at improving the quality and responsiveness of health services.
“The Community Scorecard approach therefore provides an important platform for communities and health service providers to come together, identify challenges, discuss priorities and contribute to improving the quality and responsiveness of health services,” Dr Binka said.
Dr Binka placed particular emphasis on the role of the media in ensuring that lessons and concerns emerging from communities do not remain confined to the areas where the scorecard exercises are implemented.
She said journalists have an important responsibility to translate technical health information into accessible public knowledge while ensuring that concerns raised by citizens reach policymakers and relevant authorities.
She also encouraged the media to highlight positive practices within the health sector and follow up on commitments made by authorities and service providers to address identified challenges.
“Through responsible and evidence-based reporting, the media can also help strengthen transparency, accountability and public confidence in the health system,” she stated.
She said the media’s involvement was particularly important because effective reporting could help connect community experiences with national policy discussions and ensure that health service challenges received the necessary public attention.
According to Dr Binka, the webinar was designed to provide an opportunity for the Ghana Health Service, media practitioners and other stakeholders to share experiences, assess progress and deepen their understanding of the Community Scorecard approach.
She said the engagement would also allow participants to identify practical ways of strengthening collaboration among communities, health workers, the media and other stakeholders.
Dr Binka expressed appreciation to partner organisations that participated in the initiative, including the Africa Leaders Malaria Alliance (ALMA), Hope for Future Generation (HFFG), and Ghana West Africa Program to Combat AIDS and STI (WAPCAS).
She said the experiences and perspectives of the partners would enrich the discussions and provide journalists and other participants with a broader understanding of the interventions being undertaken through the Community Scorecard Project.
“We are grateful to our partners, including Africa Leaders Malaria Alliance (ALMA), Hope for Future Generation (HFFG) and Ghana West Africa Program to Combat AIDS and STI (WAPCAS), for joining us and for their willingness to share their experiences,” she said.
Dr Binka further reaffirmed AMMREN’s commitment to bridging the gap between health research, policy, communities and the media.
She said the organisation believes that informed communities, engaged health workers and well-equipped journalists can collectively contribute to building health systems that are more responsive and accountable to citizens.
“We believe that when communities are informed, when health workers are engaged, and when the media has the knowledge and tools to report effectively, we create stronger pathways towards responsive and accountable health systems,” she said.
She urged participants to use the webinar to openly share what was working, acknowledge existing challenges and explore practical approaches to improving the Community Scorecard process.
The engagement forms part of broader efforts to promote citizen participation and accountability in health service delivery, while strengthening collaboration among communities, healthcare providers, civil society organisations, development partners and the media.
Dr Binka thanked the Ghana Health Service, PPME Division, development partners, journalists and other participants for their continued collaboration and commitment to improving health sector accountability.
She expressed hope that the webinar would result in practical discussions and stronger partnerships capable of translating community feedback into improvements in health service delivery.
By 1960news.com
