Penplusbytes, partners to award Health Reporters

Disparities in healthcare delivery as a result of poverty, unequal access to health care, lack of education, stigma, and discrimination are underlying, contributing factors of health inequities in Ghana. To help reduce these inequities in Ghana’s healthcare delivery, Penplusbytes together with its partners, SEND Ghana and the Ghana News Agency, implemented the USAID funded People for Health (P4H) project and are set to host the maiden edition of the Reducing Inequities in Healthcare Awards (RIHCA 2021) themed “Rewarding media efforts in promoting equitable healthcare delivery in Ghana”.

RIHCA 2021 will celebrate outstanding journalists whose media activities have contributed specifically promoting quality healthcare delivery in five major thematic areas – Maternal Health and Family Planning, Malaria, WASH, Nutrition and HIV/AIDS.

According to the Executive Director of Penplusbytes Ms. Juliet Amoah “the media’s contribution has been very pivotal in bringing out issues that form the basis for our constant engagements with duty bearers and demand for social justice and accountability and they deserve to be encouraged and empowered to bring out public interest stories that informs policy direction on citizens’ wellbeing.”

Ms Amoah added that “the successes and impact achieved in the five year citizen-centred project, People for Health, have been largely influenced by the works of journalists reporting on our health sector in the seven project regions (Northern, Savannah, North East, Volta, Oti, Greater Accra, and Eastern regions). The journalists’ reports have headlined untold stories of citizens’ challenges in seeking healthcare, provided direction to health professions and relevant ideas to policy makers”.

The RIHCA awards ceremony which comes off on September 29, 2021 at the Ghana-India Kofi Annan Centre of Excellence in ICT (AITI) in Accra is going to be an institutionalised annual awards ceremony that will recognise the efforts and strides being made by individuals and groups in reducing the inequities in healthcare delivery and wellbeing of citizens.

This year’s award looks at six categories: Best reporting on Malaria, Most impactful story on HIV/AIDS, Best WASH Awareness Report, Best Nutrition Report, Special Maternal Health and Family Planning Report and Most impactful P4H Reporter. Journalists whose works fall within these health areas are encouraged to submit their nominations.

Interested journalists can file their nominations here  on or before September 21, 2021.

Penplusbytes is a not-for-profit organization driving change through innovations in the following key areas: using new digital technologies to enable good governance and accountability, new media and innovations, climate and well-being, and enhancing oversight for effective utilisation of mining, oil and gas revenue and resources.