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Accreditation and Certification of Public or Private Hospitals, by approved local or international organizations, is a very serious and arduous preparation that can last several months up to 2 years and is directly related to the continuous upgrading of the quality and management of medical care.  Quality is considered the framework through which health organizations are responsible for the continuous improvement of their Services offered and the provision of high stable care, creating an environment in which excellence in clinical care can flourish and develop.

The definition of quality as stated by the World Health Organization is: "Care that provides the best outcome, maximizes benefits, minimizes patient risks and demonstrates professional excellence to all health professionals, efficiency and rationality in resource management," a high level of satisfaction of the patient holistic view of his health and the best possible final effect on his health ".

The main goal of healthcare organizations should be to provide quality health services to society as a whole, but society in turn requires transparency, accountability and efficient use of public funding where required.  This is how Quality Management and / or Clinical Governance was timidly introduced into our lives.

Organizations that assist and approve Accreditation / Certification must be approved both locally nationally and internationally if they are to have international reach and recognition.  The standards of these organizations must also be accredited by ISQua (International Society for Quality in Healthcare).  Bodies that approve or reject in the UK must also be accredited by the local UK accreditation body UKAS, for their technical competence, in order to carry out the accreditations and certifications.  International organizations that deal with hospitals, clinics, health centers and similar units are very few e.g.  There is only one such unit in the UK, which is perhaps the only accredited European body of its kind, operating in many European countries and collaborating with hundreds of health experts and is an internationally recognized certification / accreditation body for hospitals and clinics.  The Cyprus Certification Company (KEP), which is the state certification body of Cyprus, within the framework of its activities for the promotion of quality in the field of Health services, since 2007, has exclusive cooperation with this organization.

Certification accreditation bodies focus on ongoing patient-related processes, putting the patient at the center of the whole system.  This integrated treatment includes the medical, nursing and administrative processes, as well as the interaction between them, contributing to the goal of each medical unit to provide services with the highest possible quality and safety.

The accreditation and certification, of any nursing unit or center, by an internationally recognized organization places this center in a selected category of Medical and Nursing Care Organizations, which has achieved this distinction.  But the most important thing is that the Accreditation of these center brings further continuous improvement of its medical services and can be worthily compared with the best hospitals in the world.

The approval of the Accreditation and Certification of a Hospital in Cyprus, by an international organization, is a "seal of trust", both for the Cypriot patients and for the local and international insurance companies, but also for all the organizations that offer medical assistance, while at the same time ensuring adoption of quality standards in health services, in accordance with international practices.

In addition to corporate governance and internal control, Clinical Governance, which defines and oversees the medical service offered, is now the framework in which organizations directly or indirectly involved in health care delivery are responsible for continuous quality improvement. their services, and ensure a high level of care, cultivating an environment in which excellence thrives.

The British Ministry of Health White Paper "A first class service Quality in the new NHS (1998)" reflects the same definition that includes the first three key features:  Commonly accepted high standards of care, Transparency in accountability (and accountability) in relation to with the set standards and a continuous dynamic of improvement.

By Dr. Nearchos Marcos Agathangelou
Cardiologist - MD, FESC