How do you prepare a clinic or hospital for an MSQH accreditation survey?

Become an MSQH member, run for twelve months, take MSQH's training, apply at least six months ahead, then self-assess against every criterion until each one rates 3 or 4. The survey only validates what the self-assessment already shows.

Who can be surveyed, and when

MSQH surveys a medical clinic that is an MSQH member, holds a current licence from the Ministry of Health or another relevant regulator, and has been in full operation for at least twelve months.¹ A first-time applicant must complete MSQH's accreditation training, and the survey application goes in online at least six months before the expected date.¹ A hospital must also have run any new service for at least six months, and a private hospital attaches its valid Ministry licence.²

How the ratings work

For a clinic, every one of the six standards needs an overall 3 or 4 for four-year accreditation, and every core criterion needs 3 or 4 for its standard to reach that.³ A criterion not applicable to the clinic is excluded, with the reason written in the self-assessment.³

1. Join and train. Become an MSQH member and complete its training. For clinics it is a half-day workshop, recommended at least six months before the survey.
2. Apply. Send the survey application, signed by the person in charge, through the MSQH portal at least six months ahead.
3. Form teams. The person in charge leads. Give each standard a team, an owner and a place for its evidence.
4. Self-assess. Rate every criterion 1 to 4, write a risk assessment for each 1 or 2, fix it, and rate it again until it reaches 3 or 4.
5. Send the pre-survey documents. The Survey Questionnaires, the self-assessment and the clinic profile reach MSQH at least eight weeks before the survey.
6. Run a mock day. Walk a colleague through each standard, opening the evidence for every criterion from the system where it is kept.

1. Standard ______ Criterion ______ Core yes or no ______
2. Evidence of compliance we hold ______
3. Where it lives ______ Owner ______
4. Self rating 1, 2, 3, 4 or NA ______ Reason if NA ______
5. Risk if rated 1 or 2 ______ Action ______ Done by ______
6. Rating after action ______ Checked by ______

Copy template

Hospitals, and the 7th edition

MSQH has published its 7th Edition Hospital Accreditation Standards 2026, with 51 service standards, 7 of them hospital-wide.⁴ Ask MSQH which edition your survey will use, and read Standard 07 early, because it now covers digital care and artificial intelligence.⁴

Next, the documents and policies to prepare. The MOH and MSQH hub sets out the six clinic standards.

Questions

How early should a clinic apply for an MSQH survey?

At least six months before the expected survey date, which is what the MSQH website asks. MSQH's training comes first for a first survey.

Can a new clinic be accredited?

Not straight away. A clinic must have been in full operation for at least twelve months before the survey date.

What rating does a clinic need?

A rating of 3 or 4 in all six standards for four-year accreditation, with every core criterion at 3 or 4.

Does MSQH publish its fees?

MSQH tells successful applicants the costs of preparation and the survey. Its clinic workshop is listed at RM150 a person in the 2024 guide.

Sources

1. 1Malaysian Society for Quality in Health, 2026Medical clinic accreditationRead source
2. 2Malaysian Society for Quality in Health, 2026Hospital accreditationRead source
3. 3Malaysian Society for Quality in Health, 2024Medical Clinic Accreditation Survey Process Guide, March 2024Read source
4. 4Malaysian Society for Quality in Health, 2026MSQH 7th Edition Hospital Accreditation Standards 2026Read source

Written by the wai team from the Ministry of Health Malaysia and the Malaysian Society for Quality in Health guidance, checked on 16 October 2026. This is guidance, not legal advice. Neither the Ministry of Health nor MSQH endorses wai or any software.