For Phuong Chau Healthcare Group, the journey to becoming the first healthcare system in Southeast Asia to achieve JCI Enterprise accreditation did not begin with a certificate. It began with a promise—to every mother, every newborn, and every family who places their trust in us. There is one question that guides every investment we make, every clinical protocol we establish, and every step in the development of Phuong Chau Healthcare Group: How can we ensure that every patient who walks through our doors feels confident that they are protected by the highest standards of modern healthcare?
For us, this is far more than a professional question. It is a promise. A promise to expectant mothers preparing to welcome a new life. A promise to newborns taking their very first breath. A promise to families who entrust us with some of the most important moments of their lives. It was this promise that first set us on the journey toward JCI accreditation—and ultimately, JCI Enterprise.
JCI Is More Than a Certificate
When people hear the name JCI, many immediately think of a prestigious international accreditation. To us, however, JCI has never been simply a certificate displayed on a wall.
It is a globally recognized framework that enables hospitals to operate more safely every day through over 1,200 measurable standards, covering every aspect of healthcare delivery—from medication management and infection prevention to surgical safety and patient rights.
In practical terms, this means:
- Every medication undergoes multiple layers of verification before reaching a patient.
- Every surgery follows standardized safety checklists before the first incision is made.
- Every potential source of infection is managed through carefully designed protocols.
- Every incident—even the smallest one—is reported, analyzed, and transformed into an opportunity for learning and improvement.
Clinical pharmacists provide medication counseling to help patients understand their prescriptions and reduce medication-related errors.
Patients with a history of drug allergies wear red-dot identification wristbands to ensure prompt recognition and safer care.
The surgical "time-out" process confirms the right patient, procedure, and surgical site before every operation or procedure.
Simply put, JCI reduces the risk of preventable errors through a healthcare system intentionally designed around one central principle: putting patients first. That is the true value patients receive. And this is not merely a matter of perception.
A systematic review published in PLOS ONE in June 2025, analyzing 14 studies on JCI-accredited hospitals worldwide, found that accreditation was associated with fewer medication errors, better hand hygiene compliance, lower rates of healthcare-associated infections, and more complete medical documentation. Notably, these improvements were most significant in developing healthcare systems, where every advancement in patient safety can make the greatest difference in patient outcomes.
Phuong Chau International Hospital (Can Tho) first achieved JCI accreditation in 2022
JCI Enterprise: Raising the Standard Beyond a Single Hospital
If JCI represents excellence at the hospital level, JCI Enterprise represents excellence across an entire healthcare system. It means that quality does not depend on one outstanding individual, one renowned physician, or one exceptional hospital. Instead, every hospital within the system operates according to the same quality "DNA"—a unified philosophy, governance structure, safety standards, and culture of continuous improvement. Whether patients receive care in Can Tho, Soc Trang, Sa Dec, or Ho Chi Minh City, they can expect the same commitment to safety, the same quality management system, and the same spirit of compassionate care.
That is the true value of JCI Enterprise. It is not about creating one excellent hospital—it is about building an excellent healthcare system. Achieving this distinction requires an organization to have at least three JCI-accredited hospitals operating under a unified governance structure, while demonstrating that a culture of quality and patient safety is consistently embedded throughout the entire network.
A Journey That Began Long Before the Accreditation
On December 30, 2024, Phuong Chau Healthcare Group became the first healthcare system in Southeast Asia and one of only around ten healthcare systems worldwide to receive JCI Enterprise accreditation. Nearly a year later, in November 2025, the Group successfully completed its subsequent accreditation survey, reaffirming its ability to sustain international quality standards across the entire healthcare system. Yet for us, neither of these milestones marked the beginning of the journey—or its destination. The journey had begun years earlier.
In 2022, Phuong Chau International Hospital in Can Tho became JCI accredited at a time when only six hospitals in Vietnam had achieved this internationally recognized distinction. The knowledge, experience, and quality culture established during that first accreditation journey were then systematically shared across the Group.
In 2024, Phuong Chau International Hospital – Soc Trang and Phuong Nam Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City each earned JCI accreditation, paving the way for the Group's successful JCI Enterprise assessment later that year.
Phuong Chau Healthcare Group receives JCI Enterprise accreditation.
Behind every milestone lie thousands of hours of staff training, countless quality improvement initiatives, and millions of clinical decisions guided by one unwavering principle: patient safety. The journey began with standardizing every care process, fostering a culture of patient safety, and ensuring that quality became everyone's responsibility—not just that of a dedicated quality department. JCI Enterprise is therefore not the starting point of our quality journey. Rather, it is international recognition of years of sustained commitment, discipline, and continuous improvement.
We Do Not Pursue Perfection - We Pursue Continuous Improvement
Healthcare can never be described as perfect. What matters most is building a system that never stops learning, listening, reflecting, and improving. Within a JCI Enterprise healthcare system, every lesson learned at one hospital becomes a lesson shared across the entire organization.
An improvement developed in Can Tho is implemented in Soc Trang. A best practice established in Ho Chi Minh City is adopted in Sa Dec. A potential risk identified at one facility becomes an opportunity to prevent similar risks everywhere else. That is the true strength of an integrated quality system.
"We have always believed that quality does not begin when surveyors arrive. Quality begins on the very first day a patient places their trust in us—and it does not end when accreditation is awarded. It continues through every birth, every prescription, every surgery, every reassuring hand held by a nurse, and every clinical decision we make, every single day." Dr. Nguyen Thi Ngoc Ho - Founder & Chief Executive Officer - Phuong Chau Healthcare Group.
Why We Chose to Pursue International Standards
We did not pursue international accreditation for recognition. Nor for reputation. Nor simply to earn another certificate. We chose this path because we believe that every patient in Vietnam deserves care that meets the highest international standards, regardless of where they live.
A mother giving birth in the Mekong Delta deserves to be protected by the same patient safety principles practiced at leading medical centers around the world. That conviction has guided every step of our journey. It is also why we deliberately chose the more challenging path—not because it is easier, but because it is the right thing to do for the people and communities we serve.
Quality Protects More Than Patients
When a hospital operates according to internationally recognized standards, the people being protected are not only patients. Healthcare professionals benefit as well.
Physicians, nurses, midwives, pharmacists, and allied health professionals are able to work within an environment built on clear processes, standardized practices, transparent governance, reliable data, and a culture of continuous learning. A high-performing healthcare system supports its people, enabling them to deliver safer, more consistent, and higher-quality care every day. This is precisely why the JCI standards emphasize not only patient safety, but also workforce safety.
Because better patient outcomes begin with a workplace where healthcare professionals can learn, collaborate, and perform at their very best. At Phuong Chau Healthcare Group, quality is therefore not viewed as a responsibility assigned to a single department. It is a shared commitment embraced by every individual across the organization.
Whether providing direct patient care, supporting clinical services, maintaining hospital operations, or driving continuous improvement behind the scenes, every employee contributes to building a safer healthcare system. This shared culture is what enables quality to be sustained not only during an accreditation survey, but every day, in every hospital, and through every interaction with every patient.
A Promise to the Community
For Phuong Chau Healthcare Group, JCI Enterprise is not the finish line—it is the beginning of an even longer journey. A journey of continuously raising the quality of care, embracing lifelong learning, and bringing the latest advances in global medicine closer to the people of Vietnam.
This commitment is also part of a broader transformation taking place across the country's healthcare system. In January 2026, Vietnam's Ministry of Health officially recognized the JCI Standards as an international quality reference framework for hospitals in Vietnam. This milestone reflects a growing national commitment to aligning healthcare quality with globally recognized best practices—and affirms that the standards Phuong Chau has pursued for years are increasingly becoming a shared language for quality across the healthcare sector.
For us, success is not measured by the number of awards or accreditations we receive. It is measured by something far more meaningful: Every baby welcomed into the world more safely; Every woman receiving comprehensive care throughout every stage of her life; Every family feeling confident that they have chosen a healthcare provider they can truly trust.
This is more than the strategy of a healthcare organization. It is our mission. Our responsibility. And our enduring commitment to the communities we serve.
“We do not hope that patients remember Phuong Chau because we achieved JCI accreditation. We hope they remember the confidence they felt—knowing they were cared for within a healthcare system where safety does not depend on one exceptional individual, but is embedded in every process, every team, and every decision, guided by some of the world's most rigorous standards. That is the true spirit of JCI Enterprise..” – Dr. Nguyen Thi Ngoc Ho - Founder & Chief Executive Officer - Phuong Chau Healthcare Group
Above all, this is a promise that Phuong Chau Healthcare Group will continue to honor—with professionalism, compassion, and an unwavering commitment to transforming international standards into everyday experiences for every patient in Vietnam.