ISO 9001:2015 Certification: CHR Maroua Reaches a Historic Milestone Towards Excellence
Outpatient consultations, emergency care, diagnostic support, surgery: the Maroua Regional Hospital Center (CHR) has officially been certified to the international ISO 9001:2015 standard, alongside the Maroua Regional Hospital. This recognition crowns several years of sustained effort and makes both institutions the first ISO-certified hospitals in Cameroon.
A Landmark Double Certification for the Far North
On July 1, 2026, the Maroua Regional Hospital Center (CHR) officially obtained ISO 9001:2015 certification, awarded by Bureau Veritas Certification. This distinction covers four essential areas of our care offering: outpatient consultations, emergency services, diagnostic support, and surgery — including all services connected to the operating block (laundry, sterilization, operating rooms, surgical inpatient care).
A few days later, on July 10, 2026, the Maroua Regional Hospital was also certified, covering emergency services, medical imaging, pediatric surgery, as well as the laboratory and blood bank. Both certifications remain valid until 2029, subject to continued compliance with the quality management system requirements — and an annual follow-up audit.
Together, CHR Maroua and the Maroua Regional Hospital have become the first ISO-certified hospital institutions in Cameroon — a source of pride for the entire Far North region.
A Standard, a Discipline, a Culture
ISO 9001:2015 is an international benchmark for quality management. It imposes real discipline: formalized clinical and administrative protocols, rigorous risk management, continuous performance monitoring, and above all a culture of ongoing improvement.
For CHR Maroua, this initiative builds on work already underway at the Maroua Regional Hospital for several years, notably the ISO 15189 accreditation of its laboratory obtained in November 2025 — a laboratory now ranked among the country's eight accredited facilities, and the leading one in Cameroon by number of accredited test types.
Since March 2024, this quality culture has been progressively extended across the entire CHR, with technical and institutional support from the Ministry of Public Health. The goal: harmonize procedures, evaluate practices, train staff, and mobilize every department — including support functions such as procurement, accounting, maintenance, and human resources — around a shared standard of excellence.
Results Already Visible for Patients
This certification is not merely symbolic. It translates into measurable results on the ground. Since the certified operating rooms at CHR opened, not a single post-operative infection has been recorded — tangible proof that quality requirements translate into real patient safety.
For patients at CHR Maroua, this certification concretely means:
- better-organized care that is more patient-centered;
- stronger control over internal procedures and reduced risk;
- safer care pathways, from consultation through to discharge after surgery;
- a strengthened ability to identify, analyze, and correct any shortcoming — rather than simply endure it.
As hospital leadership points out, a certified institution is not one without problems: it is one capable of detecting them, addressing them, and drawing lasting lessons from them.
The Start of an Ongoing Process
Certification is never a finish line. Every year, a follow-up audit will verify that standards are being maintained, and certification can be withdrawn at any time if requirements are no longer met. CHR Maroua is therefore committed to pursuing this continuous improvement journey day after day, together with all of its administrative, medical, paramedical, and technical staff.
This level of rigor also explains why CHR Maroua now welcomes patients traveling from Douala and Yaoundé, seeking services they do not always find elsewhere — further proof that the quality of care in the Far North has nothing to envy from the country's major hospitals.
Our Commitment to the People of the Far North
This double certification, achieved in a region facing significant health challenges — rapid population growth, endemic diseases, humanitarian emergencies, and sometimes difficult access to specialized care — sends a strong signal: that of an institution firmly committed to a culture of excellence, determined to provide the people of the Far North with care that meets international standards.
CHR Maroua remains attentive to the population it serves. Should any shortcoming be noticed, our doors remain open: we invite every patient to bring it to our attention, so that together we can build lasting solutions. Our objective has always been the same: quality, safety, and patient satisfaction.
Source of statements: interview with Dr. Gérard Fetse Tam, Director, published in Échos Santé on July 24, 2026.