By Maxwell Awumah
Ho (V/R), Oct. 1, GNA – The Ghana Health Service (GHS) has called for stronger use of community feedback to improve the quality, accessibility and responsiveness of healthcare delivery.
Dr Samuel Boakye-Boateng, the Director of the Policy, Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation Division of the GHS, said the Community Scorecard should go beyond collecting information, to translating community concerns into concrete actions to improve health services.
He said the scorecard provided communities and health service providers with a structured platform to assess services, identify challenges and agree on practical solutions.
Dr Boakye-Boateng was speaking at an engagement on the Community Scorecard Project in Ghana, organised by the African Media and Malaria Research Network (AMMREN), with support from L’Initiative through Expertise France.
He said the scorecard, developed in 2018 by the Ministry of Health and the GHS with support from the African Leaders Malaria Alliance (ALMA), assessed issues including respect for clients, waiting times, availability of medicines and diagnostic services, as well as the accessibility, cleanliness and safety of health facilities.
He said Community Health Action Plans were central to the process because they linked identified challenges to specific actions, responsibilities and timelines, urging health managers at the facility, district, regional and national levels to use the findings to guide planning, supervision and resource allocation.
“The value of a scorecard lies not in the colour of an indicator, but in what happens after the scoring session,” he said, stressing the need for stakeholders to move consistently from community voice to evidence, action and feedback.
Dr Boakye-Boateng also urged journalists to go beyond reporting scorecard findings by following up on agreed actions, verifying evidence, highlighting both challenges and improvements, and giving communities a platform to participate constructively in healthcare delivery.
He said the GHS remained committed to working with AMMREN, ALMA, Hope for Future Generations (HFFG), WAPCAS, L’Initiative through Expertise France and other partners to strengthen social accountability and integrate community feedback into routine health service management.
Dr Charity Binka, the Executive Secretary of AMMREN, said the organisation was pleased to convene the engagement in collaboration with the GHS, adding that the partnership had been made possible through the Expertise France 5 per cent Initiative Grant.
She said strengthening community participation and accountability in healthcare required not only effective systems, but also access to information, communication and sustained public engagement.
Dr Binka said the Community Scorecard provided an important platform for communities and health service providers to identify challenges, discuss priorities and contribute to improving the quality and responsiveness of health services.
She said for the initiative to have a lasting impact, lessons emerging from communities must be communicated widely and citizens’ voices heard beyond the immediate project locations.
Dr Binka therefore called on the media to help translate technical health information into accessible public knowledge, bring community concerns to the attention of decision-makers, highlight positive practices and follow up on commitments to improve health services.
She said responsible and evidence-based reporting would help strengthen transparency, accountability and public confidence in the health system.
“Today’s webinar therefore provides an opportunity to bring together the Ghana Health Service, media practitioners and key partners to share experiences, reflect on progress, and deepen our understanding of the Community Scorecard approach,” she said.
Dr Binka expressed appreciation to ALMA, HFFG, and WAPCAS for their participation and contributions, saying their experiences would help broaden stakeholders’ understanding of the initiative.
She urged participants to share what was working, acknowledge challenges and identify practical ways of strengthening partnerships among communities, health service providers, the media, and other stakeholders.
She said AMMREN remained committed to bridging the gap between health research, policy, communities and the media to promote responsive and accountable health systems.
GNA
Edited by Christabel Addo
Reported by Maxwell Awumah/ Christabel Addo
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