The Wockhardt Hospitals in Mumbai has become the first super speciality hospital in South Asia to receive accreditation from Joint Commission International, USA.

The JCI Accreditation for Wockhardt Hospitals is a recognition that it adheres to international standards of clinical care, safe environment, medication safety, respect for rights and privacy, international infection control standards and access to dedicated well-trained staff.

JCI Accreditation has gained worldwide attention as an effective quality evaluation and management tool.

Joint Commission International (JCI) is a division of Joint Commission Resources (JCR), the subsidiary of the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO).

For more than 75 years, JCAHO and its predecessor organization have been dedicated to improving the quality and safety of health care services. Today the largest accreditor of healthcare organizations in the United States, JCAHO surveys nearly 20,000 health care programs through a voluntary accreditation process.

Wockhardt Hospitals, Mumbai "a super specialty setup comprising of Wockhardt Heart Hospital, Wockhardt Bone and Joint Hospital, Wockhardt Brain and Spine Hospital and Wockhardt Eye Hospital is a part of Wockhardt Hospitals Group - a chain of super specialty hospitals in India set up by the Wockhardt Group which is a global enterprise in the field of pharmaceuticals and biotechnology for more than three decades.

Accreditation provides a visible commitment by an organization to improve the quality of patient care, to ensure a safe environment and to continually work to reduce risks to patients and staff. Accreditation has gained worldwide attention as an effective quality evaluation and management tool.

Joint Commission International standards set uniform, achievable expectations for structures, processes and outcomes for hospitals, medical transport organizations, clinical laboratories, organizations providing care continuum services, and starting in August 2005, ambulatory care centers.

To ensure their international applicability, Joint Commission standards were developed by a 16-member international task force, representing seven major world regions: Western Europe; the Middle East; Latin and Central America; Asia and the Pacific Rim; North America; Central and Eastern Europe; and Africa. (ANI)