Health Standards Organization/Accreditation Canada International CEO Leslee Thompson listens to feedback from a summit participantAsian Eye Institute and Accreditation Canada International (ACI) partnered to discuss the state of patient care in the Philippines during the 7th Global Ministerial Summit on Patient Safety on April 2, 2025. 

The event, themed “Trans forming Healthcare: A Celebration of Partnerships in Patient Safety and Quality,” served as an avenue for representatives from the Department of Health (DOH) and other leading hospitals in the country to talk about the country’s evolution as a global health care destination. 

Asian Eye senior vice president and chief of customer services Dr. Patricia Manuel elaborated on Asian Eye’s journey with ACI and its various milestones along the way.

“We constantly work to elevate our patient safety and satisfaction rates, including the renovation of facilities, research and training, improved service design, process and protocol alignment and the development of young doctors through Asian Eye’s medical executive council. The success of these programs can help ensure that we maintain our standing as a center of excellence for years to come,” Manuel said.

Among those in attendance were DOH-Health Facility Development Bureau director Dr. Melissa Sena, Metro Pacific Health Holdings representative Leah Quiroz and Health Stan dards Organization (HSO)/ ACI CEO Leslee Thompson. Philippine Heart Center medical services department manager Victor Quiñones and Cardinal Santos Medical Center assistant chief medical officer Dr. Rosemarie Serrano joined Manuel during the open discussion.

The attendees discussed further opportunities for collaboration as they tackled the broader issues faced by the Philippine health care sector. Guests emphasized the need for a stronger health care system by opening up access to quality care to the most vulnerable communities in the country.

ACI is internationally recognized for promoting excellence in health care through its Qmentum accreditation program, which is based on evidence-informed standards developed by the HSO. Endorsed by the Standards Council of Canada as National Standards of Canada, these benchmarks are globally adaptable. ACI awards health care facilities at three levels— Gold, Platinum and Diamond— based on the quality of service and patient care they provide.

Asian Eye received ACI accreditation in 2011 and achieved its highest accreditation, Diamond level, in 2022.

(Story by: Aizel Maquimot)