[ACNS] The Princess Basma Centre for Disabled Children, a rehabilitation facility for children with disabilities run by the Diocese of Jerusalem, has become the first Palestinian rehabilitation centre to receive accreditation from the Joint Commission International (JCI).

JCI accreditation is considered the gold standard in global health care. The Princess Basma Centre received the prestigious accolade for its Ambulatory Care Program

“The accreditation certifies that Princess Basma Centre provides a high quality standard of service provision to its patients receiving rehabilitation services,” a spokesman for the Diocese of Jerusalem said.

The centre is celebrating half-a-century of serving disabled children and adults from Gaza, the West Bank and Jerusalem; and earlier this year its newly renovated children’s wing was re-commissioned by the Archbishop of Jerusalem, Suheil Dawani.

“On the anniversary of our 50 years serving our communities, it is no doubt that in order to continue serving for another 50 years, highest standards of therapy services for our patients should be our number one priority,” the centre’s general director, Ibrahim Faltas, said as he thanked staff for “their hard work and persistence in order to achieve the accreditation.”

The JCI works to improve patient safety and quality of health care in the international community by offering education, publications, advisory services, and international accreditation and certification. In more than 100 countries, JCI partners with hospitals, clinics, and academic medical centres; health systems and agencies; government ministries; academia; and international advocates to promote rigorous standards of care and to provide solutions for achieving peak performance.

The Princess Basma Centre on the Mount of Olives provides rehabilitation treatments to more than 650 children and more than 1000 adults each year.