SOFIHA = SOciety For International Healthcare Accreditation
SOFIHA was born out of a great need.
Providing healthcare of the highest possible quality is something that all healthcare providers should be striving for on behalf of all their patients, wherever in the world those healthcare providers are located and regardless of where in the world their patients originate from, whether locally or from far away.
Sadly this is not always the case.
Obtaining international hospital accreditation is one of the principle means by which hospitals located in one part of the world can demonstrate to people living either locally or in other parts of the world that their quality standards are recognised to be of an acceptable level. Other types of healthcare facility, such as primary care providers, health maintenance organisations, occupational health facilities, and providers/organisers of medical tourism services, may also be appropriate targets for international accreditation.
Because the world is so large and diverse, human beings so numerous and varied, and politics, culture, needs, tastes, resources and wealth distribution vary so massively across the globe, no one accreditation group can claim a mandate to be recognised as the only legitimate source of high-quality healthcare accreditation services. Plurality in international hospital accreditation is to be welcomed and encouraged. Furthermore, accreditation should not be driven by profit motives - it makes sense that all hospitals being assessed by an effective accreditation group that puts patients first will not pass accreditation, and if that is what is happening, this should raise suspicions !
The Society for International Healthcare Accreditation, or SOFIHA, is an organisation devoted towards the development and promulgation of high-quality accreditation of hospitals and healthcare facilities across international borders. It is a forum that enables people working within the field to make contact with each other, discuss relevant issues, compare notes, and generally improve the flow of relevant knowledge and ideas within the field. There are formal meetings and a web-based discussion club.
The organisation is based in Sheffield, United Kingdom, and planned meetings will be listed on this web site. If you are providing International Healthcare Accreditation, are using it, or are contemplating using it, please feel free to get in touch with SOFIHA and come and join us. SOFIHA is not a profit-making organisation.