The Hindu : New Delhi News : Bid to improve healthcare system

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Jul 04, 2005

New Delhi

New Delhi

Bid to improve healthcare system

Staff Reporter

Need for an accreditation procedure

NEW DELHI: The Indian Confederation for Healthcare Accreditation (ICHA), an association of healthcare providers and users of the country, met here on Saturday for a one-day "National Convention for Achieving Excellence in Healthcare in India'' to discuss the need to continuously improve, regulate and centralise health systems and services with quality accreditation.

Elaborating on the concept and need for an accreditation system in the country, the Chief Executive Officer (ICHA), Akhil Sangal, said: "Comprehensive accreditation addresses all dimensions of healthcare including appropriateness, availability, continuity, responsive, caring delivery and safety. The Indian healthcare industry has reached a stage where such a system of accreditation is vital. The creation of benchmarks through peer-review by professionals is far more credible than externally imposed standards. A credible and transparent accreditation process is of assistance to all stakeholders including providers, receivers and users, payers and funding agencies and educators and regulators."

The symposium organised at the India Habitat Centre here was attended by 130 delegates from around the world including representatives from several apex associations of the country including Nursing Council, Pharmacy Council, Dental Council and Indian Pharmaceutical Association.

The proposed accreditation of healthcare systems and providers is the process of evaluating and recognising excellence of healthcare delivery for hospitals, integrated service delivery networks and other such systems.

It is to be a voluntary process of development and education, said the organisers.

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