Intl group launches hospital accreditation program

An international group launched on Monday an accreditation program for hospitals, clinics, and wellness centers to improve healthcare services and promote medical tourism in the country. The National Accreditation Board for Hospitals and Healthcare Providers (NABH) International, and its local arm HealthCORE, launched a global program that accredits hospitals, clinics, blood banks, medical laboratories, dental clinics, spas, fitness centers, and cosmetic and skin care centers. The NABH standards aim to raise the quality of healthcare facilities and the level of professionals' skills to meet international standards. At a press conference, HealthCORE president Joyce Alumno said the program supports the Aquino administration's goal to provide a wider access to quality healthcare. The Department of Health (DOH) and the Department of Tourism have been promoting the country as a medical tourism destination. However, our hospitals and facilities have yet to compete with leading medical tourism destinations in Asia such as Singapore, Hong Kong and India. Dr. Anthony Calibo, the Supervising Health Program Officer of the DOH National Center for Disease Prevention and Control, said the Philippines has its own accreditation standards through the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation or PhilHealth. However, he admitted that PhilHealth is limited by what the law prescribes for it to do. "PhilHealth is a national body for accrediting health care services here," he said. "Unfortunately, it is focused on financing issues and accreditation of mainly hospitals, maternity clinics and other medical clinics. As the Philippines entered the international scene, promoting itself for international health services, the DOH finds that PhilHealth cannot perform [all accreditation tasks.]" Calibo said the government is currently working on making PhilHealth an internationally-recognized accrediting body. While this has not yet been settled, he said NABH International acts as "a very great ally of PhilHealth and DOH" that will help the local health sector position itself in the global arena. Calibo said the NABH program supports the health reforms being pursued by the health department such as the "Ospital ng PiNOY: Malinis at Mabango" campaign, which aims to improve sanitation in the country’s public hospitals. "Quality and patient safety issues will be greatly emphasized in all DOH-retained hospitals," he said. "I think it's a prelude to things yet to come for hospital reforms." International accreditation NABH International is an affiliate of NABH in India, where the program was developed. NABH is accredited by the International Society for Quality in Healthcare (ISQua), an international body that approves healthcare accreditation programs around the world. "India is now an emerging health care destination, and it is [because] they take care of their local citizens first," said Alumno, who also worked with the government and the private sector in developing the Philippines as a medical tourism destination. "As we aspire to position the Philippines as an international healthcare destination, our world-class doctors and nurses need the same world-class facilities to practice their profession," she said. "We have to keep on improving and developing our product, and the only way to do that is to raise the standards of our services to the international level." Dr. Sanjiv Malik, a board member of NABH, said an international accreditation is the practical solution to quality and safety assurance, two important factors in medical tourism. "International accreditation provides assurance to patients that they can walk in a hospital that follows protocols," he said. "It builds credibility and confidence, which generates recognition among foreign patients." He pointed out that in the Philippines, six out of 10 Filipinos die without receiving timely health care. "We have not been taking quality check seriously," he said. "When you are dealing with life and death, 99.9% is not enough." –VVP, GMANews.TV