Four of Aga Khan University’s residency programs in East Africa have been accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education International, (ACGME-I).
Three of the programs – Paediatrics & Child Health, Radiology & Diagnostic Imaging, and Obstetrics & Gynaecology have received fresh accreditation, while the Internal Medicine program has been accredited for the second time. The Internal Medicine program was the first residency program in Africa to be accredited by ACGME-I last year.
ACGME-I is a global accreditation body that verifies medical education institutions, as well as their postgraduate programs for residents and fellows, to ensure that they meet the highest academic standards.
While commenting on the accreditation, Prof Lukoye Atwoli, Dean, Aga Khan University Medical College, East Africa said: “AKU strives for excellence and this achievement is a testament to the international quality standards of our institutional set-up and the programs we offer. We attribute this success to the dedication and efforts of our colleagues who have worked tirelessly to ensure that all our procedures and documentation are of the highest standards”.
By improving the quality of teaching, learning, research, and professional practice, ACGME-I seeks to improve healthcare that ultimately benefits the public.
“This accreditation reinforces our commitment to providing the best training environment for the doctors of tomorrow. The majority of our alumni from the medical college go on to work in the public and private sectors and we believe that the culture of excellence in our training, translates to enhanced quality of care in the healthcare system,” said Rashid Khalani, CEO of the Aga Khan University Hospital, Nairobi where the residency programs are based.
The Aga Khan University Hospital, Nairobi has been accredited by global leading healthcare accreditation bodies including Joint Commission International and the College of American Pathologists, another endorsement of AKU’s training center.
The Aga Khan University Medical College, East Africa received an ACGME-I institutional accreditation in July 2020. ACGME-I recognized AKU as the only institution in the region that has the infrastructure, policies, procedures, and support systems to provide top-quality graduate medical education. The accreditation means that the training programs are benchmarked and measured against the best global residency programs.
“With four of our nine residency programs now accredited we are working to ensure that the other five programs get accredited by the end of 2024,” noted Prof Atwoli.
The accreditation comes at a time that the Aga Khan University is celebrating 40 years since receiving an international charter.
