Aga Khan University Hospital retains global accreditation for quality services
Aga Khan University Hospital, Nairobi (AKUH,N) has for the fourth time received accreditation by the Joint Commission International (JCI), for offering high-quality access to healthcare.
JCI, the US-based global leader in health quality standards is an independent non-profit organization that accredits and certifies health care institutions.
JCI noted, “Successful completion of a rigorous accreditation process is a signal to patients that a health care organization has undergone a rigorous performance assessment and met a robust series of qualifications in patient safety and quality of care.”
AKUH,N was first accredited by the JCI in July 2013, becoming the first hospital in East Africa to receive the coveted accreditation and later re-accredited in 2016 and 2019.
“This re-accreditation is an external validation that we are providing the highest quality of patient care and safety as measured by international standards and bench-marked against the best hospitals globally,” CEO Rashid Khalani said.
The re-accreditation was a culmination of a rigorous audit based on a review of the hospital’s compliance with 291 standards and 1,199 measurable elements.
Read also: Kenya inflation rate hits five-year high of 7.9 percent on sky-high fuel, food prices
It involves the analysis of healthcare delivery processes and documentation including infection control, standards of physician practice, patient experience, medication management, the safety of care, and the qualifications and competencies of staff and physicians.
The audit also analyzes the level of safety and maintenance of the facilities and equipment, disaster preparedness, patient education, and the multidisciplinary care of patients.
“We do not do this just for the audit, but as a lifestyle. Delivering quality care with good clinical outcomes is part of our DNA and is what differentiates us from other healthcare institutions. This independent and rigorous audit also ensures transparency and openness and that nothing is hidden or thrown under the carpet,” noted Mr Khalani.
In addition to the institutional accreditation, AKUH,N has had two of its clinical programs accredited by the JCI.
In August 2020, the hospital was accredited as a Centre of Excellence for the management of heart attacks making it the first hospital in sub-Saharan Africa, and second in Africa, to achieve this certification.
Similarly, in June 2021, the hospital was accredited as a Centre of Excellence for the management of acute stroke making it the first hospital in Africa to receive the accreditation.
As part of its quality journey, the hospital’s laboratory was in 2018 accredited by the College of American Pathologists. AKUHN is the only hospital laboratory in Eastern and Central Africa with this accreditation.
In 2011, the laboratory was awarded the coveted South African National Accreditation System (SANAS) accreditation becoming the first hospital laboratory in East and Central Africa to attain this qualification. It has been re-accredited annually since then.
