New Delhi: If to err is human, so to err is hospital.
Against this stark reality, a unique movement for ensuring safety of patients in hospitals and stemming of medical errors therein is on with fair measure of success in India grabbing attention of the whole world. Indian phenomenon called CAHO has redefined the quest for safety of patients in hospitals.
CAHO (Consortium of Accredited Health care Organizations) is the name of a body led by some enlightened healthcare leaders. It is driving the campaign of ceaseless push towards perfection of care in hospitals, particularly accredited ones, beyond accreditation. This body is a cut above the rest in the sense that, while the whole world is going in circle around accreditation of hospitals to achieve this, CAHO has transcended it. This change of thinking and strategy is what makes it an institution with a difference.
Given the harsh realities of medical errors even in developed nations, setting a goal to eradicate medical errors from Indian hospitals may sound a tall order. USA, which has JCI (Joint Commission International), the mother of all hospital accreditation bodies and limitless financial resources at command, still registers medical errors in hospitals there as being the third biggest killer of patients. The truth is foolproof safety of patients in hospitals is still the Holy Grail world over and seems as elusive as ever even today.
Undeterred by such dampening truth of the matter , some well meaning and conscientious luminaries of Indian healthcare started the campaign in right earnest and with missionary zeal. And, lo and behold, it is causing far reaching changes across healthcare landscape of India. Quality of care and safety of patients are becoming sine qua non for hospitals. Passion for patient safety is rife across domain, thanks to CAHO’s crusade.
The story of CAHO which has now become an epic in terms of its extent and impact started with meeting of three enlightened minds, Dr Girdhar Gyani, patron and mentor of CAHO, Dr Alexander Thomas , the Founding President of the body and Dr Vijay Agarwal, current President of CAHO. They are highly accomplished healthcare professionals and have impacted the domain in many different leadership roles. The quest for quality has been their middle name. They are being looked at as the architects of CAHO, triumvirate of this patients’ safety movement. They have been men of convictions and have fought for them too.
In the beginning, they had joined forces for sensitizing hospitals towards getting accreditation but, in course of time, they realized the fallacy of mere accreditation. They found accreditation of hospitals was only a beginning of the process of quality enhancement, not a laurel to rest on. Before CAHO, accreditation was hospitals’ sole claim to quality of care. CAHO’s mandate is to inculcate a culture of quality of care and concern for safety of patients among hospitals. CAHO has come of age. There is hardly a medical conference in India where its voice is missing. Its content and component is now a ubiquitous presence in all medical events in India.
Dr Vijay Agarwal as president of CAHO for nearly 8 years on a trot is still holding the fort with same vigor and fervor. As for handing the baton, Dr Agarwal looks at Dr Lallu Joseph, presently Secretary General of the body, as CAHO’s best shot to take their legacy forward. Dr Joseph being Associate GS& Quality manager of highly reputed hospital CMC Vellore is best suited and well equipped to pack a punch in the movement. Dr Agarwal is all praise for her dynamism, passion and commitment to the cause. He is very satisfied to see the emergence of leaders like Dr Joseph. He is highly optimistic that these emerging leaders will take CAHO far towards attainment of the goal. Dr Agarwal pins lot of hope on CAHO leaders like Father Johnson ( MD, Rajagiri Hospital Kochi, Dr Aparna Jayaram (Mumbai), Dr Anuradha Picchumani (Chengelpattu Chennai) et al too.
