Academic hospital accreditation strengthens postgraduate training programmes: case study from Universitas Academic Hospital.

Benefits derived from the Council for Health Services Accreditation South Africa (COHSASA) accreditation of the Universitas Academic Hospital (UAH) in Bloemfontein are illustrated. Accreditation assessments were performed between 2001 and 2007, and full compliance with the COHSASA standards for Academic Hospitals was achieved. An initiative to develop thoracic surgery in central South Africa (SA) was launched by the Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery at UAH. The synergistic effects of quality improvements in healthcare provision owing to the accreditation process, and the project to increase service provision in thoracic surgery in central SA, have led to a qualitative and quantitative increase in thoracic surgical service provision. The importance of academic hospital accreditation in strengthening postgraduate training programmes is shown, and the accreditation process is recommended for all South African academic teaching hospitals to support, improve and sustain our training platforms.