Dubai Healthcare City Authority (DHCA), the governing body of Dubai Healthcare City (DHCC), today announced plans to be the first national accrediting body in the UAE for hospitals and clinics in the free zone.

In line with the UAE Vision 2021, health authorities are working to achieve a world-class healthcare system. An integral part of this vision is to have all public and private hospitals accredited according to national and international quality standards.

Dubai Healthcare City Authority - Regulatory (DHCR), the independent regulatory arm of DHCA, has signed an agreement with the consultancy institution, Health Care Accreditation Council (HCAC) in Jordan, to facilitate DHCR’s process to receive accreditation as an organization from the International Society for Quality in Healthcare (ISQua).  

ISQua, a global leader in assessing the standards in healthcare safety and quality, is the only organization that ‘accredits the accreditors’. 

Dr Ramadan AlBlooshi, CEO, DHCR, said, “With mandatory accreditation and rapid growth of the healthcare sector in the UAE, our health system requires national accrediting bodies in the long-term to be cost-effective and sustainable. As the body responsible for setting standards and improving the quality of care, Dubai Healthcare City Authority – Regulatory, will expand its scope to be recognized as a national accrediting body.”

DHCR is expected to obtain the accreditation by 2020.

Once accredited, DHCR, as part of its scope, will be able to accredit hospitals within DHCC and branches of DHCC-based hospitals across the different free zones in the emirate as well as extend the accreditation to any healthcare provider that seeks accreditation.  

“We will be able to assess, track and monitor performance by hospitals as well as outpatient clinics. We will also be able to have greater oversight and drive improvements in quality in the free zone and for other industry stakeholders,” said AlBlooshi.

HCAC will work closely with DHCR for the entire accreditation process.

Salma Jaouni, Chief Executive Officer of the Health Care Accreditation Council, said, “This collaboration is in line with HCAC’s dedication to leading quality improvement and safety of care in Jordan and the Arab region. We believe in the importance of standardizing healthcare services and institutionalizing systematic approaches related to accreditation for the betterment of services rendered to patients. We look forward to working hand-in-hand with the prestigious Dubai Healthcare City Authority – Regulatory, to expand quality improvement and patient safety, and the recognition thereof by providing the support needed for DHCR to attain the ISQua organizational accreditation.”

DHCR is the first independent organization in the region to attain ISQua accreditation for developing outpatient clinics’ standards in 2009, and last year, the body received the 3rd consecutive cycle of accreditation for its Dubai Outpatient Clinic Quality Standards valid until April 2021.