The Aga Khan University Hospital, Nairobi (AKUH, N) has been accredited by the Joint Commission International (JCI), marking its fifth successive accreditation and reaffirming its position as a regional leader in quality and patient safety.
AKUH, Nairobi was the first hospital in East Africa to achieve the prestigious JCI quality standard in 2013 and has been successfully reaccredited every three years since then, underscoring its commitment to safe, reliable, and patient-centered care. “By opening ourselves to an external, internationally recognized audit process and consistently passing it, we are showing our commitment to benchmarking our care with the best hospitals globally,” said Rashid Khalani, AKUH, Nairobi CEO.
JCI accreditation is the gold standard for healthcare providers, signifying that a hospital has been independently evaluated and confirmed to meet rigorous global standards for quality and patient safety. Hospitals undergo an audit every three years before they can be re-accredited.
This latest achievement follows an intensive on-site survey in November 2025, where AKUH, Nairobi achieved a score of 98.4%. The hospital was assessed against 268 standards and nearly 1,200 measurable elements, ranging from patient safety, clinical standards, infection control, medication management, facility safety, patient experience, documentation, emergency preparedness, leadership, and staff training and their competencies.
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A score of 98.4% places AKUH, N among a select group of hospitals globally known for outstanding reliability, safety, and clinical performance. “This accreditation is not simply a certificate on the wall. It defines our way of life and guides the way we provide care, review patient outcomes, update our processes, and implement continuous improvement plans,” added Mr Khalani.
This JCI accreditation adds to the hospital’s growing list of quality milestones. In 2020, AKUH, Nairobi became the first hospital in sub-Saharan Africa and only the second in Africa to earn JCI’s Centre of Excellence certification for the management of heart attacks and successfully reaccredited in 2023. AKUHN was also the first hospital in Africa to be accredited as a JCI Centre of Excellence in the management of Acute Primary Stroke in 2021 and was successfully reaccredited in July 2024.
Furthermore, the hospital’s laboratory holds dual accreditation from the College of American Pathologists (CAP) and the South African National Accreditation System (SANAS). “These accreditations require significant investment in people, facilities, and technology,” said Mr. Khalani. “And although regulators do not require them, we continue to pursue these standards because it is the right thing to do for our patients.”
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