24 Mar 2015

Ministry of Health has engaged three international and regional accreditation bodies in the past for accreditation of its health facilities.

Answering a question in Parliament on March 23, Assistant Minister Alfred Madigele said those bodies were the Council for Health Services Accreditation of Southern Africa (COHSASA), South African National Accreditation System (SANAS), and the Southern African Development Community Accreditation Services (SADCAS).

He said SANAS, which was specifically engaged for accreditation of medical laboratories, has accredited the National TB Reference Laboratory, Botswana Harvard HIV Reference Laboratory, Nyangabwe HIV Reference Laboratory, and Bamalete Lutheran Hospital Laboratory.

Dr Madigele said SADCAS on tone hand had accredited the Nyangabwe Hospital Laboratory, and also assessed and recommended for accreditation the Sekgoma Memorial Hospital and Princess Marina Hospital Laboratories.

He added that they were still awaiting confirmation of their accreditation status. Further, he said sixteen health facilities, including hospitals and clinics, were in different stages of accreditation against COHSASA, which was specifically engaged for quality improvement and accreditation of hospitals and clinics.

Princess Marina, Sbrana Psychiatric, Nyangabgwe, Sekgoma Memorial, Letsholathebe Memorial, Debora Retief Memorial, Athlone and Selebi-Phikwe hospitals and two clinics were still at implementation level and an external survey would be conducted during 2016/17.

The MP of Selebi Phikwe West, Mr Dithapelo Keorapetse had asked the minister to state the number and names of accreditation bodies engaged by the ministry of Health for accreditation of health facilities. ENDS