"PharmAccess Ghana, Healthcare Federation of Ghana sign SafeCare License Agreement; to use Newest ISQua-Certified Version 5"

" PharmAccess Ghana, Healthcare Federation of Ghana sign SafeCare License Agreement; to use Newest ISQua-Certified Version 5 \r\n\r\nIn a landmark development poised to reshape private healthcare delivery in Ghana, PharmAccess and the Healthcare Federation of Ghana (HFG) have officially signed a licensing agreement that grants HFG access to the globally recognised SafeCare Quality Improvement Programme.\r\n\r\nHFG will be among the first to use the International Society of Quality Healthcare (ISQua) accredited SafeCare standards version 5, which is the newest version.\r\n\r\nThe agreement, signed in Accra, signals a renewed commitment to driving quality healthcare across the private sector using internationally recognied benchmarks and digital tools. It represents the final piece in a broader strategy that has already seen SafeCare embedded within Ghana\u2019s faith-based and public sectors.\r\n\r\nSpeaking at the signing ceremony in Accra, Country Director of PharmAccess Ghana, Dr. Maxwell Antwi, said the agreement is a bold initiative to transform private sector healthcare in the country.\r\n\r\n\u201cPharmAccess is a development organisation that has, for over two decades, focused on unlocking the power of connectivity and data to strengthen inclusive health markets - so more people can access better healthcare, lead healthier lives, and reach their full potential. SafeCare, a sister foundation, is central to that mission.\u201d\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\nAccording to Dr. Antwi, SafeCare is currently operational in 27 countries and works with 34 partners, impacting over 9,500 healthcare facilities. It has conducted more than 8,500 digital quality assessments using ISQua-accredited standards and has trained nearly 1,000 internationally certified assessors.\r\n\r\n\u201cOver 70% of facilities that use the SafeCare approach show measurable improvements in quality, and these facilities together serve nearly 100 million patients annually,\u201d Dr. Antwi revealed.\r\n\r\nHe added that earlier this year, Ghana\u2019s Ministry of Health formally adopted SafeCare as a national quality standard - a move he described as a \u201cwatershed moment\u201d for quality assurance in the country. The Health Facilities Regulatory Agency (HeFRA) has also recognised SafeCare as an accreditation benchmark.\r\n\r\nHighlighting the urgency of prioritising quality, Dr. Antwi cited World Health Organisation (WHO) statistics showing that between 5.7 and 8.4 million deaths occur annually in low- and middle-income countries due to poor-quality healthcare - more than from lack of access.\r\n\r\n\u201cPoor quality care kills twice as many people annually as COVID-19 did at its peak,\u201d he warned. \u201cAnd 60% of deaths from treatable conditions occur in facilities where patients already sought care. These are facilities failing not because people didn\u2019t arrive - but because their care was ineffective.\u201d\r\n\r\nHe further added that healthcare providers must recognise quality not just as an ethical obligation but as a strategic imperative. It builds patient trust, increases utilization, reduces errors and costs, and opens access to finance and investment. It also gives facilities a competitive edge in an increasingly transparent, data-driven healthcare environment.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\nAlso speaking at the event, the President of the Healthcare Federation of Ghana, Mr. Charles Fordjour, praised the partnership as a major breakthrough for private healthcare providers.\r\n\r\n\u201cToday is a very important day in the annals of what we aim to achieve for our country, Ghana,\u201d he declared. \u201cHealthcare is wealth\u2014and it will drive our economy. We are committed to ensuring every Ghanaian has access to quality healthcare,\u201d he said.\r\n\r\nMr. Fordjour noted that over 70% of Ghana\u2019s healthcare facilities fall within the private sector, and more than 60% of Ghanaians use private healthcare services. The partnership, he explained, would empower HFG to train assessors and certify member facilities to meet global standards using SafeCare Version 5.\r\n\r\nHe added that, \u201cThis agreement allows us to say, with confidence, that our services meet global benchmarks. Wherever you see the SafeCare logo, it means that facility delivers healthcare comparable to the best in the world.\u201d\r\n\r\nHe emphasised that this development could stem the tide of outbound medical tourism and, instead, position Ghana as a destination for high-quality healthcare within West Africa and beyond.\r\n\r\n\u201cThis is a game-changer and we will ensure that all stakeholders - private insurers, corporate HR directors and the Ghanaian public - recognise SafeCare accreditation as a mark of guaranteed care,\u201d he stressed.\r\n\r\nAlso gracing the occasion was the President-Elect of the West African Federation of Private Health Sector (FOASPS), Dr. Linda Deka who described the signing agreement as deeply personal and profoundly important.\r\n\r\n\u201cWe all know that quality doesn\u2019t come cheap. Often, clients don\u2019t see the value immediately but eventually, they feel it, and it translates into higher trust, loyalty, and improved outcomes,\u201d she indicated.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\nDr. Deka expressed optimism that SafeCare could be expanded beyond Ghana into at least two or three more West African countries within the next two years.\r\n\r\nAdding a provider\u2019s perspective, the CEO of FOCOS Orthopaedic Hospital, Dr. Irene Adorkor Wulff expressed strong support for the SafeCare initiative.\r\n\r\nShe emphasised that healthcare providers needed to recognise that quality was not merely an ethical obligation but a strategic imperative. According to her, quality helped build patient trust, increased utilisation, reduced errors and costs, and opened access to finance and investment.\r\n\r\nShe also noted that quality gives facilities a competitive advantage in an increasingly transparent and data-driven healthcare environment.\r\n\r\n\u201cFrom our founding in 2011, quality has been our hallmark. We\u2019re outcomes-oriented and patients who come in for treatment return not because their problems weren\u2019t solved, but because they trust us,\u201d she said.\r\n\r\nThe FOCOS Orthopaedic Hospital, she revealed, is currently undergoing preparations for Joint Commission International (JCI) accreditation - an ambitious goal that places it among the most quality-focused institutions in the country.\r\n\r\n\u201cIt\u2019s not easy. That\u2019s why many shy away from it. It requires real investment. You have to put the right processes, standards, and SOPs in place. You have to train staff to know and follow these protocols. It\u2019s not like in Ghana where we often say. There\u2019s a law for everything but no law at all. That doesn\u2019t work in healthcare. After you establish the policies, the staff must be trained to actually implement them.\u201d\r\n\r\n\u201cYes, it\u2019s expensive. You might need to upgrade infrastructure, change layouts, or add facilities. But it\u2019s an investment - and a worthwhile one. Once you've done it and get to where we are today, patients say, I\u2019m not going anywhere else. They know we might be slightly more expensive, but they stay because nobody treats them the way we do. We give them exactly what they want, how they want it. That is quality healthcare,\u201d she added.\r\n\r\nCountry Director for SafeCare at PharmAccess Ghana, Ms. Bonafasia Agyei, called the licensing agreement a historic milestone that closes the triangle of quality integration across Ghana\u2019s health system.\r\n\r\n\u201cWe\u2019ve worked for years with CHAG in the faith-based sector. We\u2019re collaborating closely with the Ghana Health Service in the public sector. What remained was the private sector. Today, with HFG on board, we\u2019ve completed the puzzle,\u201d she said.\r\n\r\nMs. Agyei emphasised that SafeCare is not just about clinical performance - but overall efficiency, business performance, patient handling and operational risk reduction.\r\n\r\nThe SafeCare Ghana Director, indicated that \u201cIn just two years, SafeCare improves facility efficiency and makes them more attractive to investors. This is an opportunity to grow businesses, improve patient experience, and strengthen Ghana\u2019s health system.\u201d\r\n\r\nLooking ahead, she outlined plans to train healthcare professionals from the Federation to become certified assessors. These professionals will lead assessments and guide facilities through a digitally enabled cycle of continuous quality improvement.\r\n\r\nThe ceremony was attended by several high-level dignitaries, including the President of FOASPS, Dr. Joseph Boguifo, President-Elect, FOASPS, Dr. Linda Deka as well as Country Director, PharmAccess Nigeria and President of Healthcare Federation of Nigeria, Njide Ndili.\r\n\r\nAs the Healthcare federation of Ghana takes this bold step toward institutionalising quality across its healthcare system, the SafeCare license agreement stands as a transformative milestone. With the private sector now aligned alongside public and faith-based institutions under a unified quality framework, the country is poised to set a new benchmark for healthcare delivery in West Africa.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n "

"PharmAccess Ghana, Healthcare Federation of Ghana sign SafeCare License Agreement; to use Newest ISQua-Certified Version 5"

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