AAR team pose for photo with Health CS Aden Duale after winning the prestigious SafeCare Level 5 Certification award. /HANDOUT
AAR Hospital has been awarded the prestigious SafeCare Level 5 certification, marking a major milestone in its efforts to deliver high-quality and patient-centred healthcare services.
Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale presided over the award ceremony on Thursday at the hospital’s Kiambu Road facility, commending the institution for meeting the rigorous standards required for the top-tier certification.
“I salute the management of AAR Hospital on this great achievement, quality healthcare is a collaborative effort between public and private providers and AAR Hospital is a partner in that sense,” Duale said during the event.
SafeCare certification is granted after an intensive assessment covering thirteen critical areas of hospital operations.
These include governance and management, human resources, patient and family rights, access to care, risk management, outpatient and inpatient services, surgery and anaesthesia, laboratory services, diagnostic imaging, medication management and overall support services.
The SafeCare standards align with the Ministry of Health’s quality and safety framework and with regulatory requirements set by the Kenya National Accreditation Service (KENAS).
They are accredited by the International Society for Quality in Health Care External Evaluation Association (IEEA), ensuring the certification meets global benchmarks.
To date, up to 7,000 health facilities across 21 countries have undergone SafeCare assessments, including 3,000 public and private facilities in nine African countries.
Additionally, 28 healthcare systems use SafeCare standards as their recognised mark of quality, among them Kenya’s National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) and its successor, the Social Health Insurance Fund (SHIF), as well as Health Insurance Funds in Tanzania and Kwara State, Nigeria.
To date, up to 7,000 health facilities across 21 countries have undergone SafeCare assessments, including 3,000 public and private facilities in nine African countries.
Additionally, 28 healthcare systems use SafeCare standards as their recognised mark of quality, among them Kenya’s National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) and its successor, the Social Health Insurance Fund (SHIF), as well as Health Insurance Funds in Tanzania and Kwara State, Nigeria.
SafeCare is a joint initiative by PharmAccess, Joint Commission International (JCI) and the Council for Health Service Accreditation of Southern Africa (COHSASA).
The partnership develops rigorous and realistic clinical standards tailored for resource-limited settings, where poor healthcare quality contributes to millions of preventable deaths.
The assessments also include pandemic preparedness, maternal and child health, sustainable practices and antimicrobial resistance control.
PharmAccess Programme Director Angela Siteyi said the goal of SafeCare is to promote equitable access to quality health services.
“At SafeCare, we believe that everyone deserves access to quality healthcare, regardless of their circumstances,” she said.
“We work to inspire and empower healthcare facilities worldwide to improve the quality and safety of their services, even in the face of significant resource constraints.”