The Saudi Central Board for Accreditation of Healthcare Institutions Standards

CBAHI is the official agency authorized to grant accreditation certificates to all governmental and private healthcare facilities operating today in Saudi Arabia. CBAHI has emerged from the Saudi Health Council as a non-profit organization. The principal mission of CBAHI is to set the healthcare quality and patient safety standards against which all healthcare facilities are evaluated for evidence of compliance. The foundation of CBAHI dated back to October 2005 as the Central Board for Accreditation of Healthcare Institutions, formed then by the Ministerial Order Number (144187). Since then, it continued pursuing its mission until 30-9-2013 when the Cabinet of Ministers Decree Number (371) called for changing the name to become the Saudi Central Board for Accreditation of Healthcare Institutions, and also mandated the national accreditation by CBAHI on all healthcare facilities. The Ministry of Health is planning to mandate CBAHI accreditation as a future prerequisite for renewal of the operating license, a step towards encouraging more participation in this ambitious national initiative.