On 2 October 2025, the Future of Hospitals and Health Systems Initiative hosted a webinar on: “Driving quality in resource-limited settings: Leadership, KPIs andaccreditation”.

Chaired by Dr Zeenat Sulaiman Khan (Regional CEO AKHS East Africa/Global Head of Quality, AKDN), the session brought together leaders from Latin America, Asia and Africa to explore how organizations can strengthen leadership, governance, and accountability to drive quality and patient safety, even when resources are limited.

Leadership and culture: The foundation of quality

Dr Adolfo Llinás Volpe, Corporate Chief Medical Officer at Fundación Santa Fe de Bogotá (Colombia), emphasized that “structure must follow strategy,” meaning leadership and governance should align closely with an organization’s quality goals.

Speakers agreed that strong leadership and a positive safety culture are vital in any context. Effective leaders encourage openness, teamwork, and continuous learning. They empower their teams to make small but meaningful improvements, even when resources are tight.

Measuring what matters

Dr Karan Thakur, Group Vice President at Apollo Hospitals (India), shared how Apollo uses its Apollo Clinical Excellence (ACE) scorecards and global accreditation systems (JCI, NABH) to embed a “zero-harm” mindset across its 70 hospitals. He explained that meaningful Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), covering both process and outcome measures, help teams translate data into real improvements in patient care.

From another perspective, Dr Aafke DeGraaff, Director of Quality at PharmAccess Foundation (Netherlands), presented the SafeCare framework: a step-by-step model that supports healthcare facilities in Africa as they advance from basic to higher levels of quality and safety. This scalable approach allows organizations to celebrate milestones along the way, instead of waiting for full accreditation as the only marker of success.

Turning accreditation into everyday practice

Accreditation systems provide more than certificates, they establish a framework for sustained improvement. However, speakers stressed that success depends on embedding standards within everyday practice rather than treating accreditation as a “tick-box” exercise.

Discussions also touched on workforce wellbeing, transparency, and the balance between technology and process. Participants agreed that technology can be a powerful enabler, but only when supported by strong systems and a positive culture.

The power of collaboration

This webinar was aligned with the goals of the Future of Hospitals and Health Systems Initiative, which promotes the sharing of knowledge, tools, and skills to build the “hospital of tomorrow.”  By connecting hospitals and leaders across continents, the FHHS Initiative helps translate shared learning into practical action, building stronger, safer, and more resilient health systems everywhere, no matter the resource level.

Watch the full recording: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5XWlBYcwxqI