Staff Reporter
Islamabad
Pakistan National Accreditation Council (PNAC) has decided to introduce the concept of hospital accreditation system in Pakistan for which the initial working has been done. According to an official of PNAC, earlier only Shaukat Khanum Hospital, Shifa International and Agha Khan Hospital were internationally accredited from the United States based Joint Commission International (JCI) body which were quite expensive.
However, PNAC has decided to introduce a parallel hospital accreditation system in Pakistan which would not be that much expensive. The official informed that accreditation would be awarded on minimal rates to the hospitals ensuring the international quality and standards. This was a huge task for which PNAC would conduct training of hospitals’ staff of different disciplines and establish a team.
International coaches from the United States and European countries would be invited to train the staff in this regard. This initiative would promote health tourism in the country and patients who mostly move to other countries like Thailand and India etc. would come to Pakistan for medical treatment, he informed. Health tourism, if promoted, would be a source of revenue generation which would help boost country’s economy, he said.
PNAC was formed actually for the improvement of trade and economic situation in the country along with facilitating the industry and removing barriers, the official said. The council has so far awarded certification to over 200 Halal certification bodies, laboratories, inspection bodies and certification bodies, the official informed. The PNAC is headed by Director General, Pakistan National Accreditation Council (PNAC), Ismat Gul Khattak.
