Aga Khan University Hospital (AKUH), Karachi’s commitment to deliver safe, high quality patient care has been reaffirmed by the Joint Commission International’s grant of accreditation for the second time – in 2006, the University Hospital became the first health care institution in Pakistan to be accredited by the Joint Commission International (JCI).
JCI standards represent a worldwide consensus on quality patient care that reflects state-of-the-art health care practices and health care delivery trends. Accreditation engages the organisation’s governing board, professional staff and administration in a cooperative effort to continuously improve patient care.
“Receiving the JCI accreditation validates the fact that Aga Khan University Hospital (AKUH) in Karachi delivers its services at the highest quality hospital standards,” said Firoz Rasul, President, Aga Khan University (AKU) at a ceremony to honour the efforts of the AKUH quality assurance team in helping achieve the JCI re-accreditation. “In order to uphold this compliance, we must remain engaged in continuous improvement and maintain a patient-centred approach to ensure that a patient’s journey at AKUH is as pleasant as possible.”
AKUH, Karachi also received, for first-time, ISO 22000:2005 certification for its Nutrition and Food Services Division (NFSD) in May 2009. These standards are exclusive to the food and beverage industry and AKU’s NFSD is the first hospital-based food production service in Pakistan to be certified on these specialised food safety standards. AKUH was also ISO 9001:2008 re-certified in June 2009 for the delivery of more customer-focused, quality conscious care to patients.
Regional CEO Health Services, Asia, Nadeem Mustafa Khan, noted that all three achievements were earned in the University’s 25th anniversary year, adding that quality health care delivery comes in the form of “satisfied, delighted patients … even those who call for blessings on their caregivers.” He noted that accreditation is attainable only through collaboration and team effort amongst all staff members of an organisation.
AKUH, Karachi plans to assist affiliated Aga Khan Health Service, Pakistan hospitals, the University Hospital in Nairobi, Kenya and going forward, the hospitals operated by Aga Khan Health Service, Kenya achieve JCI standards also. “We also want to extend this certification to other Aga Khan hospitals so that the entire Aga Khan health care system provides high quality care to the communities it serves. AKUH, Karachi serves as a role model in the region, providing access to global best practices in healthcare,” said President Rasul. In the future, the AKU-managed French Medical Institute for Children, Kabul, Afghanistan and the Damascus General Assembly Hospital, Damascus, Syria, which is collaborating with AKUH’s Nursing Services, will also work towards reaching international standards of quality and patient care. AKUH, Karachi will provide training and capacity building to these institutions to prepare them for JCI accreditation.
