SP Medifort Hospital has become the first hospital in Kerala to secure the 8th Edition accreditation from Joint Commission International (JCI), widely regarded as the global gold standard in patient safety and healthcare quality. The milestone reinforces the Thiruvananthapuram-based institution’s positioning as a provider of advanced treatment at affordable rates.
An 8th Edition accreditation from Joint Commission International (JCI) means the hospital has been certified under the latest global standards for patient safety and clinical quality.
The accreditation follows a rigorous international audit that evaluates governance, infection control, medication safety, infrastructure, and measurable treatment outcomes. The “8th Edition” refers to the most updated set of JCI benchmarks, incorporating stricter safety protocols and stronger accountability norms.
For hospitals, securing 8th Edition JCI accreditation signals compliance with current global best practices and enhances credibility among patients, insurers and international medical tourists.
Backed by the seven-decade-old SP Group, which entered healthcare in 1998 with a 75-bed hospital, the network has since expanded to four hospitals and a nursing college, with total capacity rising to 750 beds. What began with five specialties has grown into a multi-speciality network offering over 50 disciplines.
The group is currently led by chairman and managing director Dr S P Ashokan and joint chairman and managing director S P Subrahmanyan, sons of founder S P Pottivellu. The third generation — executive directors Dr Adithya S, Advaith A Bala and Dr Athulya A Bhagya — has now joined the leadership, adding managerial and clinical expertise.
Spread across five lakh square feet, SP Medifort houses 475 beds and follows cluster-based outpatient systems. The hospital operates 10 fully automated modular operation theatres, more than 40 super-speciality departments and is supported by over 90 specialist doctors.
Technology adoption has been a key differentiator. The hospital introduced South Asia’s first AI-based 3D Cath Lab (GE Allia), advanced laser angioplasty systems for complex cardiac care and a robotic 4K surgical microscope for neurosurgery. It also pioneered several digital systems in Kerala for patient registration and medical record management.
According to Dr Adithya S, medical and executive director of SP Fort Healthcare Group, the group’s philosophy rests on four pillars — clinical excellence, high service standards, cutting-edge technology and affordability. Rather than expanding geographically, the focus is on strengthening Thiruvananthapuram’s healthcare ecosystem, with emphasis on cardiac sciences, gastro sciences, neurosurgery, comprehensive cancer care and robotics-led surgery.
He also sees significant potential in medical tourism, noting rising inflows for cancer treatment, organ transplantation and advanced surgeries. Modern medicine alone, he believes, could generate ₹100 crore per month for Kerala.
Through CSR initiatives and the SP Adarsh Foundation, the group conducts health camps, preventive screenings and livelihood programmes. Its ‘Livelihood on Wheels’ initiative, in partnership with NeoMotion, Zomato and the Can Walk Foundation, has supported mobility and income opportunities for more than 200 individuals since 2022.
