CIMA Hospital in Escazú, west of San José, is the first private clinic to receive national accreditation from the Health Ministry.
Dr. Rafael Salazar said the accreditation, a pilot project by the Health Ministry to award certification similar to that of the Joint Commission International (JCI), means CIMA operates at the highest national standards. Salazar is the head of the Health Ministry’s Health Services Administration.
The JCI is a nonprofit organization that certifies hospitals, based in Illinois in the United States. Salazar acknowledged that JCI standards are still significantly higher than the Health Ministry.
CIMA also received two certificates of recognition from the JCI for good standards. CIMA, as well as Hospital La Católica in Guadalupe in San José, are seeking accreditation from the JCI.
Fewer than 300 hospitals in the world outside the United States hold a JCI certification.
The organization began granting the certification to institutions abroad in 1999.
