Shaukat Khanum Hospital Receives JCI Accreditation

When it was first established in 1994, Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital was a first in Pakistan, as a comprehensive care facility dedicated to the diagnosis and treatment of cancer. Since then, we have always strived to set the standard for excellence in medical care. Attaining accreditation from the Joint Commission International (JCI) was a natural step in our journey to become better.

JCI is the international arm of the JCHO –the Joint Commission for Accreditation of Healthcare Organisations, which accredits all hospitals in the United States. The JCI evaluates and tests international healthcare organisations to the same exacting standards applied to those in the US. Through international accreditation, publications and education programmes, the JCI extends the Joint Commission’s mission worldwide by helping improve the quality of patient care.

Shaukat Khnum Hospital first started taking steps towards attaining JCI Accreditation in 2004. This involved a thorough process of change; extending from the restructuring of our policies and procedures to intensive staff training. In 2007, 2008, and 2011 we underwent mock audits by a team of professionals from Aga Khan University, to test our preparedness over and over.

In October 2011, when we felt confident in our preparedness, we submitted our very first application to the JCI. Unfortunately at the time, travel advisories by the US government prevented surveyors from the US from coming to Pakistan for the assessment. The situation remained the same for several years, until the roadblock was removed in 2017, and Shaukat Khanum Hospital was able to re-apply for a survey. By this time, we’d redoubled our preparatory activities in parallel with the updated set of standards the JCI had issued. The new standards meant that Shaukat Khanum Hospital was going to be the first institution in Pakistan to be tested against these new, more exacting measures!

Following our application, a survey date was set with the JCI for April 2018. Until then, we continued to train and prepare rigorously with the help of experienced staff from Shifa International Hospital in Islamabad, which had recently been accredited. Increasing numbers of staff became involved in teaching, training and testing, over those last few months, with so many of our people working extra evenings and weekends.

In April 2018, Shaukat Khanum Hospital underwent a rigorous on-site survey, during which a team of expert surveyors from the Joint Commission International evaluated compliance and hospital standards related to a variety of areas including:

• International Patient Safety Goals
• Patient Assessment and Care
• Medication Management and Usage
• Patient and Family Education
• Quality Improvement
• Infection Prevention and Control
• Governance and Leadership
• Facility Management
• Staff Qualifications
• Evaluation and Information Management

At the end of a gruelling week-long process, all the hard work that we’d put in over many years came to fruition when the results were announced by the JCI in Chicago. Shaukat Khanum Hospital had earned the Joint Commission International’s Gold Seal of Approval for Hospital Accreditation by demonstrating continuous compliance with its internationally-recognised standards.

The JCI Gold Seal of Approval is a sign of quality, which reflects an organizations commitment and dedication to providing safe and effective patient care. Shaukat Khanum Hospital could not have achieved this standard if it wasn’t for the hard work of all our staff and the people who have supported us and our work.