The Christian Health Association of Ghana (CHAG) has officially assumed full leadership of the SafeCare Quality Improvement system after six years of successful collaboration with PharmAccess Ghana.

The handover ceremony, held in Accra and themed “Transfer of Leadership Mandate: From Partnership to Ownership,” brought together the leadership of PharmAccess and SafeCare - both from Ghana and the international headquarters—and CHAG, to celebrate the successful local institutionalisation and ownership of one of Ghana’s most transformative healthcare quality initiatives.

The event marked a symbolic milestone - a transition from technical partnership to full local ownership - as PharmAccess, the international health development organisation that pioneered the SafeCare standards and quality improvement (QI) approach in Ghana and other parts of the world, officially handed over operational leadership and a sustainable model for continuous implementation of the system to CHAG.

Speaking at the ceremony, the Executive Director of CHAG, Dr. Peter Yeboah, described the occasion as “solemn, proud, and deeply meaningful.”

He reflected on a six-year journey that began with cautious optimism and has since evolved into a national benchmark for healthcare quality and safety.

“When we began this partnership about five or six years ago, it was not just another project,” he said.

“It was the birth of a movement that sought to redefine what quality means in healthcare delivery. We came together on the conviction that access to care, though necessary, is not sufficient.

"What truly saves lives is access to quality, effective, and dignified care — care that treats the human person as more than a statistic, but as a being deserving of compassion and excellence.”

Adding to this, the Executive Director announced that thirty-nine CHAG facilities have now attained SafeCare Level 4 certification, while others at various levels of quality rating have achieved more than 90% improvement in their scores.

He emphasised that these advancements mark a significant leap forward in healthcare delivery, noting that every improvement contributes to saving lives, strengthening patient trust, and restoring the dignity of care.

To sustain this progress, CHAG has established a dedicated SafeCare Quality Hub — a centre for training, mentorship, and performance monitoring — designed to ensure continuous quality improvement and capacity development beyond the handover.

In addition, CHAG has developed a sustainable business model to support the long-term implementation of the SafeCare system.

The model integrates multiple revenue streams — including member contributions, partnership programs integration, and a token-based procurement system for facility participation — to ensure that quality improvement remains both financially viable and locally driven.

This approach positions CHAG to independently manage, scale, and continuously enhance the SafeCare program as an integral part of its broader health system strengthening agenda.

The impact of the SafeCare program has extended well beyond CHAG’s network. Working together, PharmAccess and CHAG successfully advocated for the recognition of the SafeCare standards and QI approach by Ghana’s Ministry of Health as a national quality improvement model.

The Ghana Health Service and the Health Facilities Regulatory Authority (HeFRA) have also adopted the framework within their quality assurance systems.

He stressed that the handover should not be seen as an endpoint, but an evolution in Ghana’s health quality journey.

On his part, Dr Maxwell Antwi, the Country Director of PharmAccess Ghana, reflected with gratitude and resolve, recalling the program’s humble beginnings and hard-won successes.

 “When we began in 2019, the CHAG-SafeCare program was just a concept. Today, it has become the second most unifying factor within CHAG after salaries — and that says a lot for a network that’s been around for more than a century.” Dr. Antwi credited CHAG’s leadership — particularly Dr. Yeboah and his team — for their unwavering vision and persistence, noting that the partnership thrived because “they viewed health transformation not as a job, but as a mission.”

Adding a global perspective, Ms Roelinde Bakker, International Director of SafeCare, commended CHAG and Ghana for their achievements, expressing admiration for the scale and impact of implementation in the country.

She shared insights from her recent visits to St. James Polyclinic - Abesim and Holy Family Hospital - Berekum, where she witnessed the transformation firsthand.

“SafeCare operates in 25 countries with 39 partners, and CHAG in Ghana stands out as one of our strongest networks.

"We are extremely proud that more than 350 facilities from the CHAG network are implementing SafeCare. What we have learned from Ghana is shaping how we expand to new countries.”

She praised CHAG’s leadership for extending SafeCare even to remote areas and for empowering healthcare professionals with real-time data and actionable insights.

She concluded by reaffirming that PharmAccess and SafeCare remain committed to working alongside CHAG and the Ghana Health Service to extend quality standards across the entire health sector.

Ms. Bonifacia Benefo Agyei, Country Director of SafeCare in Ghana, commended CHAG for its leadership, vision, and commitment to quality improvement.

She noted that the transition marks not an end, but the beginning of a new chapter of locally led innovation and sustainability in healthcare quality.

She said the handover symbolises more than the transfer of a system; it represents trust, capacity, and a shared vision for quality healthcare for all. She continued that CHAG has demonstrated that with the proper structure, commitment, and leadership, local institutions can successfully sustain and scale international quality improvement models.

Ms. Bonifacia Agyei expressed that PharmAccess is proud to have been part of crafting this transformative journey and remains committed to supporting Ghana’s broader health system strengthening efforts.

She reaffirmed PharmAccess’ confidence in CHAG’s capacity to manage the SafeCare system sustainably, highlighting that the new business and operational model developed by CHAG aligns with global best practices for health system ownership and accountability.

What began under external guidance has matured into a locally owned, nationally recognised model of excellence — one that reflects the power of partnership, purpose and faith in transforming healthcare.