Social Accountability has been defined by the World Health Organization as 鈥渢he obligation [of medical schools] to direct their education, research and service activities towards addressing the priority health concerns of the community, region, and/or nation they have a mandate to serve. The priority health concerns are to be identified jointly by governments, health care organizations, health professionals and the听 public.鈥� (World Health Organization 1995).
Within a paradigm of social accountability, faculties of medicine are seen as partner academic institutions with communities, health administrators, policy makers, and health professionals, all working together with the goal of designing health systems based upon people鈥檚 needs.听 This is expressed visually in the 鈥淪ocial Accountability Partners Pentagon鈥� below:
听
听
Adapted from: World Health Organization. (2000). Towards Unity for Health: Challenges and opportunities for partnership in health development. Geneva: WHO. Available at:听
听