NORMAH MEDICAL SPECIALIST CENTRE is in the process of acquiring the first level of accreditation from the Malaysian Society for Quality in Healthcare.

This is another aspect in our commitment to support our mission to be the preferred health care centre in the region. We anticipate successful completion of this milestone before the end of 2003. The completion of the accreditation process and the award of a document of accreditation do not alone guarantee quality services for any organization. It does indicate a dedication to the philosophy of quality practices and standards of operations that provide an environment that will enhance the possibility of creating positive outcomes for patients.

There are many regional and international groups that confer various certificates of accreditation to industrial as well as healthcare facilities. We will evaluate some of the similarities of those programs later. For the Malaysian health care industry, the primary accreditation body is named Malaysian Society for Quality in Health Care (MSQH). This is the organization that NORMAH MEDICAL SPECIALIST CENTRE will comply with as a first step in the journey of continuous improvement. The next most familiar accreditation body known in this region is the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). A less well-known accreditation service in Asia is the Joint Commission International for Accreditation (JCIA), which is the international branch of the premier body from North America. JCIA is a component of Joint Commissions of American Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO). JCAHO is the eldest of these three organizations (75 years).

Each organization has analogous components to the other in virtually all aspects of standards and component elements. There are however significant differences in some of the details of various components and in the regulatory aspects of how the compliance matters are addressed. Each body seeks to provide a mechanism by which healthcare organizations can develop and implement standard practices and processes that will enable that institution to insure quality outcomes. The international organizations must be somewhat flexible in certain aspects of the accreditation and inspection requirements due to the differences of culture and conditions in the various countries served. The fact that these organizations have a presence in wide spread regions of the world dictates that there must be some adjustments for the different areas. There are great efforts made to ensure that the core essentials of what constitutes the absolute requirements for systems of operation in quality healthcare facilities remain integrated fully within the process for all participants.

There is a coordinated effort by the entities to develop documentation that is consistent for all users of each of the accrediting bodies. The actual inspection activity and the time of accreditation validity varies from group to group and is one of the criteria to be considered when the selection of an organization is made by the end user. The MSQH entity is based on those same core concepts for care and are optimized for the healthcare environment in Malaysia. We think it is important to achieve the international designations to demonstrate our capacity to service our patient needs to an internationally recognized standard. We think it is vitally important to demonstrate compliance with all the established guidelines and standards for the Malaysian program first.

Institutional accreditation is often not recognized as the result of tremendous efforts by the individual units of the institution. The active participation and compliance with guidelines and practices by individual units of service is the key to successful accreditation attempts. While the outcome might be viewed as a facility accomplishment, it is only successful if all the service departments complete the activities that support the overall plan to meet prescribed standards and guidelines. To support these efforts, Normah applies the same concepts of team approach to patient care to the accreditation process. It is an integrated and comprehensive team effort by all the employees to move the improvement process forward.

The MSQH standards are patterned in the form of the leading organizations in this field - the Joint Commission International and the ISO. The table lists some of the primary standards and that are fundamental to the accreditation process.