ISO certificate eyed for Capitol hospitals

CEBU, Philippines — The Capitol eyes ISO Certification for the provincial-run hospitals as a means to improve the public health system in Cebu Province.

ISO stands for International Organization for Standardization. They issue certificates which proves that the management system of an institution is enable to meet the needs of customers and other stakeholders while meeting statutory and regulatory requirements related to a product or service. At present, the Capitol is operating 16 hospitals.

Provincial Health Office (PHO) head Dr. Rene Catan said that gearing up for an ISO Certification means improving the standardize systems of processes in all the hospitals. He explained that as soon as the provincial hospitals are ISO certified, whichever hospital a patient may go the processes are uniform and compliant with the international standards.

PHO aims to start with the four biggest hospitals first — Balamban, Bogo City, Carcar City, and Danao City. All four are also strategically located in the North and South.

Catan emphasized that there is no ISO certified institution, only an institution with an ISO certified system.

For the provincial hospitals, the Capitol targets to accredit their system for three areas: billing, emergy room, and out patient.

The evaluation for each area will cost around P1.2 million. With the tri-area target, the ISO certification per hospital will reach P3.6 million. Since there are four priority provincial hospitals, this will equate to a projected amount of P14.4 million. Each evaluation, which will be conducted by the ISO, will last for almost half a year.

This move was also confirmed by Cebu Governor Hilario Davide III during the Provincial Leadership and Governance Program (PLGP) - Governors’ Learning Forum in Pasay City. The forum, sponsored by the Department of Health (DOH) and Zuellig Family Foundation (ZFF), seeks to assess the progress of each province enrolled in the program and share their best practices.

Davide and eight other governors from across the country shared their experiences, plans, and undertakings in their respective government units as proclaimed “champions of health” by the Zuellig Foundation. Davide received his title last year along with 13 other governors.

Davide expressed that the Cebu Provincial Government intends to follow La Union Provincial Government’s practice of securing ISO certification for hospitals across the province.

“ISO reflects the quality of management and services that you give, you render to the people. We have to achieve that also. We plan to visit La Union and Bataan to learn more,” he said.

He also shared the continuing efforts of the provincial government to improve its provincial and district hospitals and to empower Cebu mayors to be champions for health in their respective localities.

“This is very important in providing the benefits of universal health care program of our government,” the governor added. (FREEMAN)