Setting the Standard for Quality Care in Rwanda

In 2013, Rwanda’s Ministry of Health established the national health care accreditation program, which guides facilities to define, implement and measure standards that describe the expected quality of care. Adapted from internationally recognized standards, the program aids health facility staff to provide evidence-based, patient-centered care that mitigates unnecessary risks, prevents further harm to patients, and fosters access to and demand for health services.

Rwanda’s Ministry of Health, with support from the MSH-led USAID Rwanda Health Systems Strengthening (RHSS) Project, helpd to institutionalize quality standards throughout the health system, from the country’s 42 hospitals to community-level health centers. Each health facility works toward achieving three progressive levels of effort:

• definition and communication of quality standards through policies, procedures, and protocols;

• implementation of quality standards; and

• measurement of compliance to standards and continuous quality improvement, based on periodic assessments.

This webinar presents the RHSS Project’s standards-driven approach to quality of care and continuous improvement and share results and lessons from designing, implementing, and tracking an accreditation program in health facilities across the country. The webinar also reviews the program’s concrete results to strengthen the quality of care women and children receive.