British Virgin Islands: State-owned hospital receives full accreditation from international body

BVI Health Minister: “It signifies that as a government, we have chosen to pursue a commitment to excellence in health care that will help us to build more confidence among our population.”

BOOST: The Dr D Orlando Smith Hospital

THE GERMAN-Norwegian International accrediting body – DNVL — Det Norske Veritas (Norway) and Germanischer Lloyd (Germany), has given the state owned hospital  – the Dr D Orlando Smith Hospital, full accreditation status for three years.

The Dr. D. Orlando Smith Hospital, is the first such institution in the region to be accredited by the body. 

In making the announcement in the House of Assembly on September 22, Health Minister Carvin Malone said DNVL accredits more than 635 hospitals in the United States, and 15 hospitals across Brazil, China, Iceland, Slovenia, Czech Republic and Thailand.

While thanking Chief Executive Officer of the hospital, Dr Ronald Georges and his team for their roles in the achievement, Malone expressed the importance of the BVI reaching such a milestone.

Safe

“It signifies that as a government, we have chosen to pursue a commitment to excellence in health care that will help us to build more confidence among our population, attract more patients, enhance and promote safe and high-quality care for the people of the BVI.”

“By achieving this distinction, the BVIHSA has demonstrated its ability and commitment to providing health care that has been evaluated against global standards,” Malone added.

During the audit of the BVI Health Services Authority (BVIHSA), surveyors noted seven practices within the organisation that can be considered best practices across the DNV-GL network of accredited facilities.

These included having a unified in-patient prescription sheet, continuous learning and commitment across the organisation, investment in software to support integrated care pathways, and an excellent record keeping.

Excellent

Malone said the BVIHSA was also acknowledged for having excellent reporting and analysis of quality indicators in the dialysis unit, no expired medicines or packs in the organisation, and a high level of cleanliness within the organisation.

To maintain the accreditation, the Health Minister said the BVIHSA will continue to undergo numerous assessments and inspections on an annual basis.

He said the BVIHSA already underwent a formal assessment of compliance for DNV-GL/NIOSH standards earlier this year. 

This was preceded by a self-assessment and readiness assessment.

Review

“Year two will involve a follow-up DNV-GL assessment, and ISO (International Standards Organisation) 9001 Pre-assessment in February of 2021 to demonstrate continued progress and a review of the organization’s Quality Management System (QMS), specific to the ISO requirements,” the minister explained.

“Finally, in year three, an ISO 9001 certification audit is added to the process to certify the organisation’s quality management system,” he added.

The accreditation is valid from February 20, 2020, to February 20, 2023.

Comments Form

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

*
*

Support The Voice

The Voice Newspaper is committed to celebrating black excellence, campaigning for positive change and informing the black community on important issues. Your financial contributions are essential to protect the future of the publication as we strive to help raise the profile of the black communities across the UK. Any size donation is welcome and we thank you for your continued support.

Support Sign-up