The Bamboi Polyclinic has been awarded Level 4 on SafeCare Quality Standards, an international benchmark for quality healthcare delivery.
This is a significant stride for healthcare in Ghana; and the achievement places the facility – located in the Bole District of the Savannah Region – at the forefront of healthcare excellence, being the first under the Ghana Health Service (GHS) to be promoted from Level 2 to Level 4 within just a year.
Speaking to journalists at a brief ceremony to present the SafeCare level 4 certification, the Director-General of the Ghana Health Service, Dr. Patrick Kuma Aboagye, said quality remains a challenge for all healthcare systems in the world. “The challenges and the issues to deal with in quality of care gets more serious as you move toward the remote parts of the country like Bamboi,” he added.
GHS to adopt the internationally accredited SafeCare quality improvement standards
The GHS Director-General said the quest for the highest quality of care in health services must be a cross-cutting system that must permeate all the care delivered in the facilities, including the management systems.
Dr. Patrick Kuma Aboagye is impressed with the SafeCare methodology and how its adoption could accelerate the quality improvement journey GHS is working toward.
“I am confident that we can adapt the SafeCare standards to the Ghanaian situation and context and improve the quality of care in Ghana’s healthcare delivery system,” he emphasised.
Dr. Aboagye praised the Bamboi team’s resilience and commitment to achieving SafeCare’s quality standards, noting that such improvements are crucial across Ghana’s Health Services for consistently high-quality care and attainment of Universal Health Coverage (UHC).
What does Level 4 SafeCare mean for the client?
The Country Director for SafeCare, Bonifacia Benefo Agyei, explained that SafeCare Level 4 ensures that patients at Bamboi Polyclinic receive uniform, consistent and high-standard care, significantly lowering risk and elevating quality.
“This milestone is a testament to the clinic’s adherence to strict protocols and procedures, leveraging data to identify and address gaps in care delivery. This award does not only mark a leap in healthcare management but also sets a precedent for other facilities to follow, showcasing the potential for substantial improvement in healthcare quality across Ghana,” she said.
She further explained that for the healthcare managers and health policy-makers, the improvement in the quality of care and reduction of risks that come with the SafeCare Level 4 facilities will reduce waste, cost and ultimately increase patronage and profitability.
“Bamboi did this in one year, they moved from Level 2 to Level 4; so among polyclinics, this one at Bamboi stands out in Ghana,” Bonifacia added.
She challenged other healthcare facilities to be inspired by the successes chalked by the Bamboi Polyclinic and push higher to improve the quality of care delivered through the SafeCare methodology.
Dr. Boi Vituse Vikpenoba, Acting Medical Superintendent of the Bamboi Polyclinic noted that the SafeCare quality improvement programme has impacted the operation and management of the hospital positively and greatly improved health outcomes for patients.
“They gave us a lot of guidelines and action plans, we developed a lot of protocols with monitoring and evaluation; and after that we have seen a lot of improvements in attendance in the facility,” he explained.
Dr. Vikpenoba said: “At the theatre, the wards, the pharmacy and even at the OPD, we see a lot of improvements”.
Speaking about the actual actions that have led to the attainment of this feat by the polyclinic, the quality improvement focal person, Kennedy Kuredoh, said a seven-member team has been set up by the management of the facility to review the performance of the team, and assigned the quality improvement tasks to the team.
He added that the team consistently monitors the SafeCare App to appreciate where the gaps are as it guides the teams to address those gaps.
