Editor, I write this letter to formally correct significant errors in The New Times article published Tuesday, 17th March, 2009 by Irene V. Nambi titled “King Faysal [sic] to Get International Accreditation.” The article begins “King Faysal [sic] Hospital (KFH) in Kigali is set to be internationally accredited this year, by the Council for Health Service Accreditation of Southern Africa (COHSASA), officials have announced.” Also in the article, New Times journalist Ms. Nambi quoted Clare Karibika, Director of Continuing Quality Improvement at King Faisal Hospital, Kigali (KFH, K) as saying “…Since our hospital has an ethics committee that is determined to ensure that all staff performs to the expectation, we are sure that between June and December we will be internationally accredited.” Ms. Karibika was misquoted, as KFH, K is in fact set to be accredited between June and December, 2010. Ms. Karibika also told the journalist that KFH, K has committees in every department to ensure compliance with COHSASA standards, not one single ethics committee. These many committees are crucial to the intense and complex accreditation process, which takes years to complete. In addition to a recorded interview providing this information, Ms. Karibika supplied the reporter with a formal press release containing all relevant information (attached). KFH, K appreciates responsible journalism, and therefore asks that The New Times run this correction on Thursday, 19 March, 2009 so as to not misinform the people of Rwanda about the timeline of the accreditation process. Sincerely, Campbell VogelCommunications Consultant, KFH, K
