Social Accountability as a Core Accreditation Criterion for Medical Education Programs in Egypt: A Policy Brief

Abstract

Egypt’s health system faces growing challenges, including provider maldistribution, overloaded tertiary care, and under-addressed primary care needs in rural and remote governorates. Educational institutions and medical schools in Egypt often emphasize academic excellence and research output, but lack mechanisms to measure or incentivize community engagement and social responsibility. Globally, social accountability (SA) has emerged as a central pillar of health professions education. However, in Egypt, national accreditation standards do not explicitly incorporate social accountability principles, specifically those ensuring social responsiveness and accountability; thus, these principles are not effectively translated into medical curricula. In this policy plan, we seek to encourage a revision of the National Authority for Quality Assurance and Accreditation of Education (NAQAAE) accreditation standards for medical schools to place SA as a central pillar by incorporating ISAT-based SA indicators into the mandatory standards. The theory of change that guides our efforts focuses on using policy as a driver for propelling a shift in the focus of medical education institutions’ behaviours, leading eventually to increased community participation in health governance and ultimately leading to stronger, more empowered communities in Egypt.

We utilize the steps of Kotter’s model for change to form a powerful coalition, refine our vision, overcome barriers, and design a policy brief to address different stakeholders and policymakers in Egypt. This policy brief will offer practical recommendations along with an implementation roadmap and tailored messages for different stakeholders to ensure sustainability and long-lasting change.