Supporting the government’s agenda of giving universal access to high quality healthcare, a globally recognized accreditation program was recently launched to help improve the quality of local healthcare providers and to develop the country’s medical tourism products and offerings.
Through its exclusive Philippine representative, HealthCORE, the National Accreditation Board for Hospitals and Healthcare Providers (NABH) International was introduced to promote the program of improving conditions, systems, processes, and skills of healthcare facilities and professionals in the country.
“Accreditation is a practical solution to one of the main issues in medical tourism, which is quality and safety assurance. Through NABH International, it allows our healthcare provider to build credibility and confidence, which generates recognition among foreign patients, thereby promoting medical tourism,” said Dr. Sanjiv Malik, board member of NABH and executive director of DM Healthcare Group in United Arab Emirates.
Developed and successfully implemented in India, NABH has been accredited by the International Society for Quality in Healthcare (ISQua) under its International Accreditation Program in 2008. ISQua is an international body, which grants approval to healthcare accreditation programs as a seal of excellence.
Department of Tourism (DoT) undersecretary for tourism planning and promotions Vicente Romano III said that accreditation program is the key for medical tourism to truly flourish in the Philippines, as it will recognize the Filipino healthcare providers to be at par with world-class standards.
NABH International’s accreditation process entails onsite visits and facility tours to assess if standards on access, care of patients, management of medication, patient rights, and infection control are met. Standards on continuous quality improvement, good governance, facility safety, human resources, and information management system are likewise evaluated by highly qualified and well-trained assessors comprised of clinicians, healthcare administrators, and nursing supervisors.
“This is an opportunity for the Philippines to benchmark with the best in the world. Accreditation with NABH International results in healthcare organizations that are globally competitive and attuned to the needs and requirements of international patients,” shared Dr. Girdhar J. Gyani, CEO of NABH International and Secretary General of Quality Council of India.
Aside from hospitals and clinics, NABH International also covers the accreditation of spas, wellness centers, blood banks, community health centers, and other small healthcare organizations.
“As we aspire to position the Philippines as an international healthcare destination, our world-class doctors, nurses and therapists need the same world-class facilities to practice their profession. By matching our world-class capability with the improvement of our hospitals and clinics to world-class standards. The Philippines is set to become a global hub of healthcare,” said staunch medical tourism advocate Joyce Alumno, President of HealthCORE and CEO of HIM Communications.
Aside from boosting medical tourism, the accreditation program is seen to support the present administration’s agenda of giving universal access to high-quality healthcare.
“With NABH International’s stringent accreditation process, we can ensure that our hospitals will provide safe and effective healthcare of the highest quality and best value. At its heart, NABH is all about improving the overall healthcare system for the benefit of patients,” Alumno concluded
Manila Bulletin