Sanford World Clinics, a leading provider of rural healthcare services, has achieved a level 4 progress in the 5 step quality assessment program by SafeCare, through PharmAcces International Ghana, for two of its facilities in Kasoa and Cape Coast.
SafeCare, an internationally (ISQua) accredited standard, has introduced standards to provide public and private health facilities with independent quality assessments. The standards are designed to help bridge the gap between now and the future, bringing healthcare quality and patient safety to new levels.
SafeCare aims to support basic healthcare providers in resource-restricted settings to go through step-wise structured improvement programs, to deliver safe and quality-secured care to their patients, according to internationally recognized standards.
Sanford World Clinics signed up for this quality assessment in 2016, using Sandford World Clinic in Cape Coast and Kasoa, and in just a matter of two years, it has achieved the level 4 progress in the 5 step quality assessment program.
A ceremony has thus been held at the Sanford World Clinic at Kasoa in the Central Region, where SafeCare, through PharmAcces International Ghana, presented the Progress 4 certificate to Sanford for the two facilities.
Speaking at the ceremony, Country Director for PharmAccess Ghana, managers of the SafeCare Project, Dr. Maxwell Akwasi Antwi, said…..”SafeCare is not only dealing with clinical improvement. We have realized from our experience that health facilities that work on quality improvement begin to see improvement in their finances. They begin to see improvement in their business performance.We have realized that averagely, net profit grows by 20% for clinics that work on SafeCare for more than two years. We’ve also realized that there’s 15% increase in employment rate by clinics that work with SafeCare. So SafeCare is about the patient who walks in and goes out having received more and better care, and it’s about the provider of the service having improved quality, but also improvement in business and improvement in finance.”
According to Dr. Maxwell Akwasi Antwi, the Progress 4 certificate means that, “There are five levels in SafeCare, Level 1 to level 5, after that, you’re best international practice. So what it actually means is that, Sandford Clinic is just two more steps way from being global international best practice clinic. There’s no SafeCare level 5 clinic in Ghana. So you’re among the crème the la crème of clinical work in Ghana”.
The Progress 4 certificate also means that, Sanford facilities across the country will regularly be monitored, the implementation of treatment guidelines and standard operating procedures through internal record reviews and (clinical) audits, and most high risk processes and procedures will be controlled.
When the facilities start improving their compliance with standards, the progress is recognized in a series of five “steps” or certificates of improvement.
Dr. Kojo Benjamin Taylor, Executive President of Sanford World Clinic, said based on the success they have had with the two facilities subjected to the SafeCare project, they will add three more of their facilities.
He said his aim of bringing quality healthcare offered in America to Ghana years ago, has become a reality.
“To me, quality healthcare is really about patient outcome. What is the patient experiencing having gone through our facility?” Until a patient defines a service as acceptable quality, it is not” he noted.
“I stand here to say, that of the 3000 plus government healthcare facilities, and over 1,200 private healthcare facilities, I don’t know what they do in those facilities, but I know what we do. I am proud to know that we apply standards that help us to drive a certain predictable outcome. Sanford set on a path to change how healthcare is delivered in Ghana, and I am proud to see that it is happening.”
Per the certification, healthcare facilities delivering better service and a safe and clean environment will increase the confidence of patients that they will receive appropriate care.
About Sanford World Clinics
Sanford has been acknowledged for its contribution to quality healthcare, winning awards such as Best Child Health Performance, Jhpiego, Best Private Clinic, NHIA and 2nd Best ANC Provider, Adenta District Health Directorate.
Sanford is an integrated not-for-profit health system headquartered in the USA and it is the largest rural healthcare system in the USA. Sanford World Clinics was established in Ghana in 2011.
The Sanford World Clinic initiative was designed to provide permanent healthcare services for all people especially children.
Sanford has an established relationship with the Ghana Ministry of Health and is working with the government to provide quality health care and related technology
close to home.
The organization is committed to opening hundreds of clinics in urban and rural communities across the country, all with NHIS accreditation.
Each facility is an Outpatient Department and provides consulting, IV hydration, detention, maternity care, wound care, health education, telemedicine, laboratory and pharmacy services.
About PharmAccess
PharmAccess is dedicated to improving access to quality health care for people in sub-Saharan Africa. It mobilizes public and private resources for the benefit of doctors and patients through health insurance, mHealth innovations, loans to doctors (Medical Credit Fund), clinical standards (SafeCare) and impact research.
Working in public-private partnerships, they leverage donor contributions to increase trust in the health system, reduce risks and transaction costs, paving the way for private investments. PharmAccess has offices in Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria and Tanzania with over 300 full time staff.
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By: Ebenezer Afanyi Dadzie/citinewsroom.com/Ghana
