Radio Progress News first radio station in the Upper West Region
The Ghana Health Service (GHS) and the African Media and Malaria Research Network (AMMREN) have called on journalists to help ensure that community feedback on health services leads to practical improvements.The call was made on September 30, 2026, during a webinar on Ghana’s Community Scorecard (CSC) Project.
The engagement was organized by AMMREN in collaboration with the GHS Policy, Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation Division, with support from the Expertise France 5% Initiative Grant.
The Community Scorecard brings community members and health service providers together to assess the quality of care, identify service gaps and agree on actions to address them.
Organizers said the media can help make community concerns more visible and encourage follow-up by health authorities.
Dr. Samuel K. Boakye-Boateng, Director of the GHS Policy, Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation Division, described the scorecard as a structured way for communities and providers to examine healthcare delivery and monitor progress.
He said the initiative supports people-centered healthcare by giving residents an opportunity to assess the services they receive and contribute to decisions about how those services should improve.
“What communities say about the health services they receive is a matter of public interest, and their voices should help shape how those services improve,” Dr. Boakye-Boateng said.
He stressed that the scorecard is not simply about assigning ratings to facilities. Its purpose, he said, is to ensure that information gathered from communities informs concrete action.
“In essence, the scorecard creates a pathway from community experience, to evidence, to action,” he said.
The Community Scorecard was developed in 2018 by the Ministry of Health and the Ghana Health Service, with support from the African Leaders Malaria Alliance (ALMA). It enables communities and health providers to identify what is working, examine the causes of challenges and agree on steps to improve services.
At the Community-based Health Planning and Services (CHPS) level, communities assess services quarterly against nine indicators. They then develop Community Health Action Plans based on the issues identified. Scores and action plans are entered into DHIMS2 and the project’s web platform to support monitoring and follow-up.
Dr. Boakye-Boateng said the scorecard complements routine health information by capturing patients’ experiences, which may not be reflected in service statistics alone.
Routine data can show how many people attended a facility, how many children were immunized or how many women received antenatal care. But, he said, it is also important to understand whether clients felt respected, whether waiting times were reasonable and whether medicines and diagnostic services were available.The process can also help reveal whether facilities are accessible, clean and safe—factors that shape people’s experience of care and their willingness to use health services.
Aseye Kpodotsi, the GHS focal person for the Community Scorecard Project, said the four-year initiative had trained 80 regional facilitators and 52 journalists.
She reported that training had reached 685 of the project’s target of 1,850 CHPS zones, as well as 47 of 135 district hospitals. However, she identified inconsistent quarterly reporting and delays in the release of funds as challenges affecting implementation.
The Ghana Health Service says the project can contribute to the country’s progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly SDG 3, which focuses on good health and well-being, and SDG 16, which promotes peace, justice and strong institutions.
AMMREN Executive Secretary Dr. Charity Binka said the media has a critical role in strengthening community participation and accountability in healthcare.Speaking at the engagement, she said improving services requires more than effective systems. It also depends on access to information, communication and sustained public involvement.
Dr. Binka said journalists can help connect community concerns with health authorities and policymakers, while reporting on whether agreed actions are carried out. She encouraged the media to use the scorecard process to support informed public discussion and accountability.
She reaffirmed AMMREN’s commitment to bridging the gap between health research, policy, communities and the media. Informed communities, engaged health workers and well-equipped journalists, she said, are essential to building responsive and accountable health systems.
Dr. Binka also thanked the partners involved in the initiative, including the African Leaders Malaria Alliance, Hope for Future Generations and the West Africa Program to Combat AIDS and STI.
The webinar’s call to journalists reflects the project’s wider aim: to make community voices part of routine efforts to improve healthcare. By reporting on concerns raised through the scorecard—and tracking what happens next—the media can help ensure that feedback is not only collected but acted upon.
