By: Mary Aperika
As part of government efforts in achieving the Universal Health Coverage (UHC) target by 2030, fifty journalists selected across the country received training on the Community Scorecard (CSC) initiative. This is designed to empower health facilities at the sub-district level to manage cases more effectively, reducing unnecessary referrals to district hospitals and bringing vital services closer to the community.
The training is aimed at empowering media representatives to play a vital role in advancing the country’s goals for universal health coverage.
The selected journalists will be instrumental in giving accurate reportage on the Ghana Community Scorecard to the public.
The scorecard serves as a vital tool to track the performance of health services in various communities, promoting transparency and accountability.
The Executive Secretary of the African Media and Malaria Research Network (AMMREN), Dr. Charity Binka, reminded journalists to be amplify their voice on the community scorecard initiative.
“We, the journalists, are the voice of the voiceless. We play a role journalists play in health communication. People make informed choices based on what they hear. They hear adverts in the media on medications and rush to take it. The media therefore a very important role because when we get it wrong, the public suffers it too. Our role should not be downplayed” Dr. Binka explained.
Dr. Binka shared insights on the collaboration between AMMREN and other stakeholders, including the French government. She expressed gratitude for the support from various partners and highlighted the long-standing journey of AMMREN in promoting health discourse in Africa.
A Deputy Director of Information, Monitoring, and Evaluation at the GHS, Dr. Andrews Ayim, said, “The scorecard offers a transparent, community-driven evaluation of health facilities, which journalists can report on to bridge understanding and collaborative solutions.”
Dr. Ayim also explained that the CHPS compounds, which are the first points of healthcare for many, often have limited resources. This can necessitate referrals to district hospitals for more complex cases, causing difficulties for patients, especially those with chronic conditions like hypertension.
“An elderly patient with hypertension, for example, currently has to travel to the district hospital every month for medication refills. Through the Network of Practice, we aim to equip health centers at the sub-district level to provide these services, thus minimizing travel and ensuring patients have consistent access to care,” Dr. Ayim mentioned.
The journalists were taken through topics such as Ghana’s primary healthcare system and understanding the CHPS concept, Expertise France Community Scorecard project, Ghana’s community scorecard, Media ethics and reporting on vulnerable groups (T.B patients, women, PLWA), among many others.
The training was held on the theme: “Effective Use of the Media to Scale up Universal Health Coverage’’ was organized by the African Media and Malaria Research Network (AMMREN) in collaboration with the Ghana Health Service.
