SafeCare certification is an endorsement that a health facility has met certain internationally recognized quality and safety standards for patient care,” explained Dr Farhat Abbas.
The Aga Khan Hospital for Women in Karimabad, Karachi, and the Aga Khan Maternal and Child Care Centre in Hyderabad, both of which are part of the Aga Khan University Hospitals (AKUH) network, and the Aga Khan Medical Centre in Gilgit, which is part of the Aga Khan Health Services (AKHS) network, are the first hospitals in Pakistan to receive Level 5 SafeCare certification.
Every year, millions of preventable deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries due to inadequate healthcare. However, historically, these countries have a scarcity of institutions that rate, improve, and incentivize healthcare quality. This is where SafeCare enters the picture to intervene and innovate. SafeCare is an initiative of PharmAccess, Joint Commission International (JCI), and the Southern African Council for Health Service Accreditation (COHSASA).
SafeCare is a methodology with internationally recognised standards that aims to improve the quality of care in low- and middle-income countries, where 3.6 million people die each year as a result of poor care. Institutions with Level 5 status have demonstrated high-quality standards across all SafeCare Service Elements.
“SafeCare certification is an endorsement that a health facility has met certain internationally recognized quality and safety standards for patient care,” explained Dr. Farhat Abbas, interim CEO of Aga Khan University (AKU) Health Services in Pakistan.
“In addition to the SafeCare certification, AKUH is also accredited by JCI, and its clinical laboratories are accredited by the College of American Pathologists for fast and accurate testing. These accreditations are a true testament to the high level of healthcare and patient safety that we provide,” she added.
The French Medical Institute for Mothers and Children (FMIC) in Kabul has also become Afghanistan’s first SafeCare-certified hospital. AKU is in charge of the facility.
“We are very excited about receiving the SafeCare certification, as it brings us one step closer to the level of excellence in healthcare that we believe our communities need and that we aspire to deliver. Our goal now is to improve the quality of our health-care services and to inspire other hospitals and medical centres in Pakistan to do the same”, said Syed Nadeem Husain Abbas, Chief Executive Officer of AKHS, Pakistan.
AKU and AKHS, both agencies of the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN), collaborate to provide high-quality health services throughout Pakistan. AKU operates four secondary hospitals as well as more than 290 clinical laboratories and medical centers throughout the country, in addition to the main hospital in Karachi. To supplement this network, AKHS operates 113 health facilities in Pakistan, including two comprehensive medical centers.
“We are committed to providing patient safety and quality healthcare. With the addition of four hospitals in Pakistan and Afghanistan, the AKDN health system now has 38 Safe Care-certified facilities, including 34 medical centers in Kenya and Tanzania,” said Dr. Zeenat Sulaiman, Global Head of Quality, Clinical Programmes, and Projects at AKHS.
Nicole Spieker, CEO of PharmAccess, welcomed the newly SafeCare-certified hospitals in Pakistan and Afghanistan. “For better patient care and safety, PharmAccess will continue to expand and scale its SafeCare programme to support healthcare facilities offering primary, secondary and tertiary healthcare in different regions. “The Aga Khan hospitals have demonstrated that quality care is possible anywhere with dedication,” she said.
Dr. Mairaj Shah, Chief Operating Officer of AKUH Secondary Hospitals, thanked the PharmAccess quality team for their efforts and support during the certification process.