By Hussein Hazazi

Okaz/Saudi Gazette

JEDDAH — About 44 percent of hospitals under the Ministry of Health (MoH) are in the red zone (high risk and imminent danger category) while 34 percent are in the yellow zone with moderate risk and only 18 percent in the green zone.

This categorization was based on an evaluation report prepared by the Saudi Central Board for Accreditation of Healthcare Institutions (CBAHI).

Those hospitals who failed to meet at least six accreditation standards from among more than 20 Essential Requirements for Patients Safety (AMANA) from CBAHI are included in red zone.

CBAHI is the official agency authorized to grant accreditation certificates to all government and private healthcare facilities operating in the Kingdom. It is mandatory for all public and private healthcare delivery facilities such as hospitals, polyclinics, blood banks and medical laboratories in Saudi Arabia to comply with national standards set by CBAHI and obtain its accreditation through a survey process set forth by it.

The evaluation process covered 227 high and medium-risk MoH hospitals and 51 low-risk government hospitals.

The essential requirements for patient safety include proper verification of qualifications, correct identification of patients, infection control committee, reporting of medication errors, fire extinguishing system, emergency exits, blood donation facility, isolation rooms, prevention of error in surgery, safe blood transfusion, qualified anesthesia team, delineated clinical privileges, safety from radiation hazards, system for safety of look-alike and sound-alike medications, fire and smoke control, fire alarm system, and maintenance medical gas system.