HealthCheck at a glance
Citizen monitoring of health services
HealthCheck is a CERC platform for monitoring the quality of services in health centres, hospitals, dispensaries, maternity wards and pharmacies in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Health committees trained by CERC, patients, carers and health workers report what they see. CERC checks every report, publishes it on the facility’s page, sends it to the facility’s management and follows it until the fix is confirmed on site.
The problem
Failures that often go unseen
Users see what goes wrong every day. Without verified, shared information, managers and decision-makers often do not.
Unofficial fees
Prices not displayed, extra fees without a receipt, payment demanded before emergency care.
Missing medicines
Essential medicines out of stock, patients sent to buy outside, free products resold.
Water, hygiene and waste
No water for care, broken toilets, medical waste left in the open.
Absent staff
Night and weekend shifts not covered, opening hours not kept, staff impossible to identify.
Patients’ dignity
Patients held over unpaid bills, consultations without privacy.
Equipment and power
Broken cold chain, no electricity at night, equipment out of order.
How it works
From observation to a verified fix
CERC identifies and trains members of the CODESA (health area development committees). In each health area, their health committee monitors facilities with HealthCheck and takes problems to the managers for dialogue. Four principles guide this work:
- 1
Report
A health committee, a patient, a carer or a health worker reports a problem, with photos.
- 2
Check
CERC checks every report before publishing it on the facility’s page.
- 3
Discuss
The management is informed and asked to act; the health committee follows the dialogue.
- 4
Fix
The fix is confirmed on site: the problem then becomes « Resolved ».
Our answer
Our principles
Transparency
Problems, fixes and figures are public and downloadable.
Protecting reporters
Their name is never published: only their profile appears.
Dialogue
The goal is a solution, not a sanction.
Verification
A fix only counts once it has been confirmed on site.
What HealthCheck is for
Useful to everyone
For decision-makers
Know where to act, measure what changes
Verified data from users, to steer programmes and report on results.
- Problem map See the facilities and health zones where problems concentrate.
- Verified evidence Every report is checked by CERC, with photos and history.
- Joint reviews Bring facilities, health authorities and partners together around the same facts.
- Resolution rate A simple impact indicator for your reports.
For health facilities
A diagnostic tool, not a sanction
An early warning on what is going wrong, and a way to show what you have fixed.
- Prioritise A clear view of the problems reported in your facility.
- Build trust Show the health committee and the community what has been solved.
- Showcase your management Your resolution rate is visible to the health authorities.
- Involve your team Health workers can report failures too.
For users
Your voice improves care
A simple way for patients, carers and the community to report a problem and follow its fix.
- Report safely Your name is never published: only your profile appears.
- Follow every problem Each report has its own page and status, up to « Resolved ».
- Act together Your area’s health committee takes your reports to the facility.
- See progress Fixes are published as prominently as problems.
Join citizen health monitoring
Open an account to report a problem and follow the facilities of your health area.