El-Salem: Enhancing Social Accountability is Key to Improving Health Services in Jordan
JUST Discusses Role of Accountability in Health Service Improvement
April 10 – President of Jordan University of Science and Technology (JUST), Professor Dr. Khalid El-Salem, emphasized the importance of strengthening the principle of social accountability as a main tool to improve the quality of health services in Jordan, highlighting the pivotal role of universities in supporting national initiatives that promote transparency and community engagement.
His remarks came during a panel discussion hosted by the Center for Sustainable Development Studies and Technology’s at JUST, in cooperation with Al-Hayat Center – Rased, and supported by the European Union in Jordan and the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation Aceid ,under the title: “Accountability as a Tool to Improve Health Services,” part of a project aimed at developing effective strategies for social accountability to achieve better health outcomes.
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Salem noted that these efforts align with Jordan’s economic and social modernization vision, which seeks to empower citizens to play an active role in monitoring and evaluating the performance of public services, particularly in the health sector, stressing the importance of producing actionable and practical recommendations.
Dr. Amer Bani Amer, General Director of Al-Hayat Center – Rased, affirmed the value of the partnership with JUST as a successful model for integration between academic institutions and civil society organizations to enhance transparency, accountability, and service quality for citizens.
Professor Dr. Ammar Al-maaytah, Director of the Center for Sustainable Development Studies and Technology ,presented a session on accountability tools in the health sector, underlining the need to expand the use of tools such as community complaints and patient satisfaction surveys, due to their impact on raising transparency and enhancing health system efficiency.
The session was attended by hospital directors from the public and private sectors, deans of medical faculties at the university, several mayors, representatives from local communities, and experts in social accountability and health sector specialists. The participants discussed ways to activate accountability tools and enhance transparency in the delivery of health services.
The session concluded with several key recommendations, including: promoting transparency by publishing regular performance reports of health institutions, expanding communication channels between service providers and citizens, training health personnel on accountability principles, and activating the role of civil society in all stages of health planning and evaluation, while leveraging successful international experiences and adapting them to the Jordanian context.
