Aspetar, Qatar Orthopaedic and Sports Medicine Hospital, has been awarded “Platinum Level” accolade by Accreditation Canada International (ACI).
A member of Aspire Zone Foundation and the world’s leading orthopaedic and sports medicine hospital, Aspetar has been following the accreditation process for more than 18 months and the platinum level accreditation was granted at the first survey in December last year.
The milestone was announced by Mohamed Khalifa al-Suwaidi, acting CEO of Aspire Zone Foundation and Dr Mohamed Ghaith al-Kuwari, acting director general of Aspetar during a press conference yesterday. The officials also announced that the  organisation will work hard for diamond level accreditation which is the highest one offered by ACI during the renewal process of the accreditation in three year’s time.
The award recognises Aspetar’s high safety criteria and world-class medical care and services, in accordance with best practice international standards.
The accreditation process included a number of comprehensive evaluation procedures, acknowledging excellence at the medical, administrative, financial and IT services & infrastructure levels.
The accreditation journey, which began in April 2014, took 18 months and involved four visits by the ACI team which assessed the hospital’s services against 1,800 criteria. The accreditation was officially awarded in December 2015, and was achieved on the first survey.
Al-Suwaidi, stated “Achieving this accreditation caters directly to Aspire Zone Foundation’s vision to become the reference in sports excellence in the world, and supports the organisation’s values by assuring Aspetar’s world-class medical services”.
He added: “Such an achievement is in line with our efforts to contribute to the Qatar National Vision 2030, which prioritises human development as one of its main pillars and focuses on the high-quality health and fitness sectors”.
Dr al-Kuwari, said: “Obtaining this prestigious accreditation reflects the advanced and developed level of Aspetar, whether in terms of medical staff and expertise or medical services and care, which make the hospital the preferred destination for the world’s elite athletes and clubs.”
The ACI accreditation system includes three levels of status, which are Gold, Platinum and Diamond. To date, 97 international healthcare organisations have been accredited by ACI. Only 16 of those have been accredited with“Platinum” rating, while the majority have been awarded the lower “Gold” accolade.  
While other accrediting bodies focus on operational or administrative criteria, or on specific medical components, ACI is a comprehensive and integrated accreditation system, covering a range of factors including medical and administrative services as well as technology.