By Rachel Kakraba
A two-day capacity-building workshop on strengthening urban health has opened in Accra, aimed at enhancing journalists’ interest and engagement in urban health issues. The workshop, a follow-up to a similar training held in 2023, seeks to equip participants with new approaches for accurately reporting on science-related topics, with a particular focus on urban health.
The training is organized by the Community-Led Responsive and Effective Urban Health Systems (CHORUS) at the School of Public Health, University of Ghana, with funding from the United Kingdom’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. It is held in partnership with Women, Media and Change (WOMEC), a media advocacy group.
The initiative is a six-year project spanning 2020 to 2026. It is a multi-country Research Programme Consortium working in two cities in each of the participating countries, which include Ghana, Nigeria, Nepal, and Bangladesh.
Speaking to GBC News, Research Uptake Officer for CHORUS, Delali Kumapley, explained that the project’s research focused on where the urban poor access healthcare services. She noted that the findings revealed many urban residents rely on pharmacies for their healthcare needs, largely due to limited awareness of the Community-based Health Planning and Services (CHPS) available in their communities. She added that the project has developed a range of interventions to help bridge this gap.
“We realized that a lot of people do not know what CHPS does, so we are shedding more light on that. In our research, we found that the CHPS compounds are ill-equipped. The community health nurses who handle these cases are also ill-equipped, so we train them. The research revealed these gaps, and we came up with interventions, including training the community health nurses,” she explained.
She added, “We also provided some logistics, and we are working to create awareness on the role of CHPS in the urban setting.”
On the sustainability of the project beyond its closeout in 2026, Madam Kumapley said the Ghana Health Service and beneficiary communities have been actively involved to ensure ownership and continuity.
“We worked with the Ghana Health Service in the design of posters and awareness creation materials. We’ve thought about sustaining all of these things so that if we are unable to get partners or additional funding when the project ends, at least the legacy we have built will be continued by the stakeholders we have involved in the process.”
She expressed hope that the participating journalists’ interest in urban health would continue beyond the lifespan of the project.
“For the journalists we have had in this setup, I’m hoping that after the project, it will not be just about being invited to programmes to cover urban health issues, but that the training itself will ignite interest in going into urban settings, urban poor neighbourhoods like the slums, to identify issues and create compelling stories that generate public interest and spark conversations,” she said.
Executive Director of WOMEC, Dr. Charity Binka, said the partnership leading to the training is crucial as it brings journalists closer to academia, particularly researchers. She noted that it offers journalists the opportunity to disseminate research findings for the greater good of society.
“It’s very important that journalists understand and work closely with researchers. They are able to break down the jargon and make it understandable so people can easily relate to it.”
Dr. Binka added that increasing public knowledge about health can play a significant role in reducing the country’s disease burden.
A lecturer from the University of Ghana’s Department of Communication Studies, Prof. Abena Yeboah-Banin, gave a presentation on communicating research beyond academia. She emphasized that researchers’ and scientists’ findings are often confined within academic circles, limiting their potential societal impact.
“Involving journalists is crucial, as media coverage of research findings can reach a wider audience and empower the public to make informed decisions,” she said.
“Such training is important to the extent that it helps journalists prepare to take what researchers and scientists have worked on and package it in a way that the broader public can connect with.”
Prof. Yeboah-Banin also encouraged journalists to be mindful of the protocols that guide the work of the scientific community in their reportage.
“Remember that the science community has protocols that guide the way they operate. Therefore, when we take an interest in reporting on the outcomes of their work, we need to respect those protocols and principles.”
She also led a practical session on using data in storytelling and urged journalists to explore academic journals as valuable sources of news leads.
