Medical Tourism
SOUTH AFRICA
| Name | The Council for Health Service Accreditation of Southern Africa |
|---|---|
| Type of organisation | Public |
| International or national | National |
| Period of validity | 2-3 years |
| Method of assessment | Facilitated approach: baseline data and visit at least every six weeks; Self-Evaluation approach: relevant training is offered in the beginning of the programme, an external survey is undertaken at an agreed point |
| Public communication | Transparent |
| Target groups | Government and patients |
| Price | Depends on hospital |
| Accredited by | ISQua |
| Participation | Voluntarily |
| Quality norm | - |
| Founders | South African Government |
| Objective | Assist healthcare facilities in developing countries to deliver quality |
| Profit or non-profit based | Non-profit |
| Accredited institutions | Healthcare facilities |
| Special remarks | - |
In 1994, the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Stellenbosch developed a Pilot Accreditation Programme aimed to accredit health institutions. Since the programme showed that it was of considerable value to participating facilities, the scope of work has been extended. The University of Stellenbosch transferred the accreditation copyrights and obligations to the Council for Health Service Accreditation of South Africa in 1995. In the past 15 years, the COHSASA has built up the accreditation programme for hospitals, sub-acute care, psychiatric facilities and programmes and primary healthcare clinics.
Besides, it has developed standards for the management of HIV / AIDS across a continuum of care. The accreditation process is an ongoing process which can take up to 36 months. The focus of the accreditation is improvement of the healthcare sector consisting of several steps, which are shown in the graph.38
The South African Accreditation Process