THE Accreditation Canada International (ACI) recently granted a gold accreditation to Davao Doctors Hospital (DDH) for being the first of its kind in Mindanao.
DDH Quality Management & Accreditation Department Director Dr. Celia Castillo, in a press conference, said the hospital administration chose to be accredited by ACI than with Joint Commission International (JCI), the accreditation body organization of some big hospitals in Metro Manila, because of its leveling standards.
"Having an external body to look into what we are doing is already evidence that we want to improve," Castillo said.
There are three levels of accreditation with ACI and DDH passed the first level or the Gold Accreditation last August 31.
The second is the Platinum Accreditation while the last is the Diamond Accreditation. Both have more requirements and standards to comply than with the Gold.
Castillo said the leveling accreditation standard encourages them to continuously improve hospital services and facilities toward achieving the highest level of ACI accreditation.
One of the best practices of DDH that were applauded by ACI, she said, is the maintained observance of hand hygiene to all staff and patients in the hospital.
"We are the only hospital in Mindanao that has hand hygiene kit in every patient room," Castillo said.
DDH, she said, also has `standards of care' in managing associated infections through consistent monitoring of each facility and patients who are under ventilation and catheters.
DDH President Rayund CS. Del Val said the hospital spent P100 million in the hospital expansion, facility improvements, and purchases of new machines to pass the first accreditation.
"Three years from now, we will be revisited by ACI for them to check if we can pass the second or the Platinum accreditation or not," Del Val said.
Del Val said DDH is working on bringing quality health services to community-based reach through establishing additional satellite hospitals throughout the city after its first satellite hospital in Dumoy District.