International healthcare society commends Jordan’s advancements in sector

AMMAN — A patient-based approach to healthcare is key to enhancing the quality of medical services, an international expert said Tuesday.

Cliff Hughes, president of the International Society for Quality in Healthcare (ISQua), also called for encouraging young workers in the healthcare sector to come up with innovative ideas for boosting the quality of services.

“Young people do not have the constraints that people, who have been doing things one way for a long time, have,” Hughes told The Jordan Times in an interview on the sidelines of the first day of the Health Care Accreditation Council’s (HCAC) Third Quality Healthcare Conference and Exhibition in Amman.

He commended the young generation’s quickness and ability to develop technology-based solutions for problems they observe, but also highlighted the wisdom of workers with longer experience as a crucial component in quality healthcare.

Coordination between clinical and managerial aspects can help hospitals receiving large numbers of patients rise to the challenge of offering quality services, he said.

The medical expert, who has 25 years of experience as a cardiothoracic surgeon, noted that not all medical cases require treatment at hospitals, as some may be treated at home; therefore resources can be directed to those most in need.

The HCAC is the first and only institution in the Arab region that has achieved all three ISQua accreditations: for its healthcare and social care standards, surveyors’ certification course, and its role as an external evaluation organisation, according to Hughes.

He said the three accreditations “mean a lot to Jordan, the region and ISQua”, adding that the development of healthcare system has enabled the Kingdom to become a “leading healthcare provider regionally and internationally”.

In his keynote speech at the opening of the two-day conference, held under the patronage of HRH Princess Muna, Hughes listed confrontation, innovation, commitment, empowerment and fulfilment as the five principles for enhancing quality healthcare services.

HCAC Chairman Amjad Aryan said the conference seeks to widen the comprehensiveness of quality healthcare to include services, education and experiences of patients, infection control, data collection, best practices and accreditation.

Aryan told The Jordan Times that the forum also seeks to focus healthcare professionals’ efforts on patient-based services and catering for patients’ needs.

The conference brings together some 400 participants from local private, public, educational and military medical institutions as well as from the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Sudan, Palestine and Iraq, according to HCAC CEO Salma Jaouni.

By showcasing real-life incidents, the conference encourages medical service providers to reassess their communication with patients, she said, citing a series of Royal and ministerial directives aiming to sustain Jordan as a “hub for quality healthcare”.

The conference also features specialised workshops and over 30 lectures.