Medisch toerisme
BELGIUM
| Name | Belgian accreditation |
|---|---|
| Type of organisation | Public |
| International or national | National |
| Period of validity | 5 years |
| Method of assessment | Peer assessment and a visit of a multidisciplinary team |
| Public communication | None |
| Target groups | Patients and government |
| Price | No cost |
| Accredited by | - |
| Participation | Compulsory |
| Quality norm | - |
| Founders | Belgian government |
| Objective | Improve the quality of the hospitals |
| Profit or non-profit based | Non-profit |
| Accredited institutions | Vlaamse Directoraat - generaal Gezondheidsvoorzieningen |
| Special remarks | Not highly valued by hospitals |
In a 5-year cycle, every hospital in Belgium has to undergo an inspection by a multidisciplinary team, consisting of physicians, nurses and hospital managers. Due to the fact that this inspection is compulsory, it is also free of charge. The inspection is focusing on several clearly defined topics: quality of care, hygiene, safety, management, organisation and finance. There is also a peer assessment concentrating on these topics. The Belgian government is trying to develop a dialogue between the hospitals and the government to improve the overall quality of Belgian hospitals.
However, this system is currently facing difficulties. Due to the reason that the inspection is compulsory, the majority of the Belgian hospitals do not highly value this accreditation and see it more as a formality. Therefore a trend arose that Belgian hospitals tend to undergo foreign accreditation, for example by the JCI and/or NIAZ33. The overall standards of Belgian hospitals are comparable with other European hospitals. Moreover, the Belgian accreditation has a tradition of many years. It is nevertheless not recognised as an official accreditation system