Leading Abu Dhabi Hospital Awarded ISO 9001:2008 Certification for Quality Management in Purchasing Department

Abu Dhabi, 2 April 2013: Sheikh Khalifa Medical City (SKMC), managed by Cleveland Clinic, owned and operated by Abu Dhabi Health Services Company PJSC (SEHA) , has been awarded ISO 9001:2008 certification for its Quality Management in its purchasing department, as part of its commitment to providing products and services of the highest and latest standards of quality to its caregivers and patients.

ISO 9001:2008 certification is based on eight quality management principles that help improve organisational performance: customer focus, leadership, involvement of people, process approach, systems approach to management, continual improvement, fact based decision-making and mutually beneficial supplier relationships.

"We at SKMC understand the importance of establishing and maintaining longstanding relationships with key suppliers and contractors. The purchasing department is committed to ensuring that products and services are of the highest quality and delivered on time at the optimal price," said Zayed Al Dahema, Director of Supply Chain Management at SKMC said at an event today celebrating the achievement.

"The ISO 9001:2008 certification will help shape activities around fulfilment of the hospital's needs, and will assist in achieving organisational objectives now and in the future," Al Dahema added.

This is the second time that SKMC has received the ISO 9001:2008 certification, previously awarded to the stores and warehouses department in 2012. SKMC has to achieve and sustain superior level of performance, and continuous quality improvement standards to serve the nation with the best achievable practices in the market. In particular, by upgrading the skills of employees through suitable training, and complying with all the requirements to improve the effectiveness of the overall quality management system.

The purchasing department at SKMC operates under the policies and procedures issued by SEHA.

About SKMC managed by Cleveland Clinic
Sheikh Khalifa Medical City (SKMC) is located in Abu Dhabi City, the capital of the United Arab Emirates, and operates under the management of Cleveland Clinic, consistently named by U.S. News and World Report as one of the nation's best hospitals in its annual "America's Best Hospitals" survey. SKMC is owned by SEHA, the Abu Dhabi Health Services Company, recently established to oversee operations of all public hospitals in the Emirate. SKMC is the flagship institution for the public health system in Abu Dhabi and has several 'Centers of Excellence', and aspires to practice contemporary medicine comparable to the best hospitals and medical centers in the world. SKMC provides comprehensive healthcare services in all of the disciplines relevant to the needs and priorities of the community to attain the highest levels of patient satisfaction.

SKMC, the largest hospital and medical city in the UAE, consists of 568-bed Tertiary Hospital, 14 outpatient specialty clinics and the Abu Dhabi Blood Bank, all of which are accredited by the Joint Commission International (JCI). SKMC is also accredited as a Cycle III Chest Pain Center with Primary Angioplasty Intervention; and is accredited by the College of American Pathologists (CAP) for its Main Laboratory and the Abu Dhabi Blood Bank. In addition, SKMC manages a 125-bed Behavioral Sciences Pavilion and 2 Urgent Care Centers. For further information, please contact us at marketing@skmc.gov.ae or visit www.skmc.ae.

About (SEHA):
SEHA is health in Arabic.  The Abu Dhabi Health Services Company PJSC- whose marketing identity is SEHA - is an independent, public joint stock company created to develop the curative activities of the public healthcare system in Abu Dhabi. The company owns and operates all the public hospitals and clinics of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi which together make up the SEHA HealthSystem.  SEHA is committed to continuous improvement of customer care to recognized international standards and providing our customers and communities served world class healthcare.  SEHA has partnered with internationally recognized hospital managers to achieve these goals.  These include Johns Hopkins Medicine International, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, VAMED, Medical University of Vienna, Bumrungrad International and Fresenius Medical Care.  SEHA owns and operates 12 hospitals with 2,644 beds, 62 ambulatory care, family care and urgent care centers and 2 blood banks.  SEHA is one of the largest integrated healthcare providers in the Middle East with more than 17,000 doctors, nurses, ancillary care and administrative personnel in its employ.  Visit our website at www.seha.ae.

For further information contact:
Salama Al Mazrouei,
Corporate Marketing Communication Manager
02-410-2317
smazrouei@seha.ae

Media Contact:
Mohamed Lari
Mob.:0508172999
Email: marketing@skmc.ae

© Press Release 2013