Health Minister Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabeeah said more public hospitals are set to undergo CBAHI accreditation program as part of a strategic plan set out by the ministry to improve quality of services.
“The ministry plans to accredit 60 government hospitals next year by asking them to apply CBAHI standards,” said Dr. Muhammad Khasheem, undersecretary at the ministry and chairman of CBAHI.
He said King Fahd Specialist Hospital and Saud Al-Babtain Cardiac Center, both in Dammam, have won the accreditation of the Joint Commission International (JCI) in the United States.
JCI accreditation can help international health care organizations, public health agencies, health ministries and others to evaluate, improve and demonstrate the quality of patient care in their countries.
Khasheem said the accreditation of 21 hospitals took more than a year, adding that quality certificates were issued after inspecting administration and health facilities, including emergency and operation wards and intensive care units.
“We have also inspected the way of treatment, technological facilities and the standards of doctors and nurses and their training programs,” he said. “We have also considered the measures taken to protect the rights of patients,” he added.
CBAHI accredited institutions include Hera Hospital in Makkah, King Fahd Hospital in Baha, Asir Central Hospital, King Abdul Aziz Specialist Hospital in Taif, King Fahd Hospital in Najran, King Fahd Hospital in Jeddah, King Khaled Hospital in Hail, and King Saud Hospital in Qassim.
“There are a total of 881 criteria to be followed by each hospital to get accreditation. These criteria helps comprehensive assessment of the quality of service at a health institution,” he said.
Khasheem said quality certificates were issued after a seven-member team of experts inspected the hospitals and their facilities. The inspection takes three to four days depending on the volume of services provided by a health facility.
“We have trained 50 officials to conduct inspections,” he said, adding that they were trained by the Canadian Council on Health Services Accreditation (CCHSA).
“Implementing quality standards at government hospitals has become the ministry’s strategy,” Khasheem said. “It is the roadmap to be followed by all hospital staff.” He said quality of service is essential to ensure safety of patients and reduce medical mistakes.
The CBAHI chief said accreditation councils such as Australian Council of Health Standards and CCHSA are non-profit organizations that aim to improve health care services around the world by applying unified quality standards on patient care and safety.
