Pictured at the opening of the Ezulwini Private Hospital in eSwatini which has now been accredited are (from Left): Elsa van den Berg, Nursing Services Manager, Jacqui Stewart, CEO of COHSASA, and Dr Thandeka Khanyile, CEO of Ezulwini.
The 80-bed Ezulwini Private Hospital recently became the first COHSASA accredited hospital in eSwatini. Situated in that country’s capital, Mbabane, the hospital achieved a compliance rating of 93 and has been given a two-year award.
Says CEO of COHSASA, Ms Jacqui Stewart, “This is a great achievement for the team at Ezulwini Private Hospital. They started to implement the accreditation standards soon after this state-of-the-art hospital was opened, underlining that safe, quality care is the priority for their patients”
Another outstanding feature of these latest awards – see the list below – is the accreditation of two more Cure Day Hospitals – East London and Wilgeheuwel. This increases the total number of accredited Cure Day Hospitals in South Africa to nine out of 12 hospitals.
What Do These Awards Represent?
When a health facility earns COHSASA accreditation, it’s a sign that it has achieved robust international standards. This means patients visiting these facilities can trust they’ll receive safe, high-quality care.
Want to know more about accreditation? Visit www.cohsasa.co.za
| Name of Facility | Award | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Arwyp Medical Centre | Full Accreditation | 3 Years |
| Cure Day Hospital East London | Full Accreditation | 2 Years |
| Cure Day Hospital Wilgeheuwel | Full Accreditation | 3 Years |
| Drakenstein Palliative Care Hospice | Full Accreditation | 4 Years |
| Ezulwini Private Hospital | Full Accreditation | 2 Years |
| Helderberg Hospice | Full Accreditation | 4 Years |
| St Nicholas Hospital (Campbell Branch) | Full Accreditation | 3 Years |
But what does this mean?
A COHSASA full accreditation award confirms that a healthcare facility has successfully completed a rigorous quality improvement programme. It is compliant with standards endorsed by the International Society for Quality in Health Care External Evaluation Association (ISQua-EEA), the global authority overseeing quality in healthcare across 70 countries.
COHSASA itself is accredited by ISQua-EEA, as are its standards, making it the only internationally recognised accrediting body for healthcare facilities in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Facilities entering COHSASA’s programme initially earn a two-year accreditation for meeting these demanding standards. As they continue their journey of quality improvement, longer awards reflect their sustained excellence. A four-year accreditation signals to patients that the facility has maintained superior standards for at least eight years.
To ensure that the standards are maintained, all accredited facilities must undergo an interim survey halfway through their accreditation period. This ensures that quality standards remain high and that patients continue to benefit from outstanding care.