Social Accountability

What is Social Accountability?

Boelen and Heck penned the WHO declaration of the Social Accountability of Medical Schools in 1995[i] and it remains the standard used by most schools:

“The obligation to direct [the School’s] 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 public.”

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[i] Boelen, C., & Heck, J. E. (1995) Defining and measuring the social accountability of medical schools. Geneva: Division of Development of Human Resources for Health, World Health Organization.