Latest accreditations awarded by The Council for Health Service Accreditation of Southern Africa Cohsasa (NPC)

The entrance to Mediclinic Panorama in the northern suburbs of Cape Town

What does this mean?

Health facilities that have been accredited by The Council for Health Service Accreditation of Southern Africa (Cohsasa) meet extremely rigorous international standards, signifying that patients attending these facilities can expect to receive safe, quality care. To see more about accreditation, look at www.cohsasa.co.za.

Cohsasa is a not-for-profit company (NPC) based in Cape Town.

A Cohsasa full accreditation award means that a healthcare facility has entered a demanding quality improvement programme and has been assessed against and complied with standards recognised by the International Society for Quality in Health Care External Evaluation Association (ISQua-EEA), the global body overseeing accreditation and quality improvement programmes in healthcare organisations in 70 countries around the world.

Cohsasa itself is accredited by the IEEA as are its standards. Cohsasa is the only accrediting body for healthcare facilities in Sub-Saharan Africa recognised by the IEEA.

Healthcare facilities that initially enter the programme and meet standards are awarded two-year accreditations and as the journey in quality improvement continues, awards of longer duration are given. A four-year accreditation award from the Council should signal to patients that a facility has sustained an excellent level of standards over a significant period of time.

All facilities that receive an accreditation award must undergo an interim survey halfway through the period to ensure that standards are being maintained.