Bangalore: Hospitals in India that ensure maximum patient safety and quality of healthcare can now get accredited by the recently started National Accreditation Board for Hospitals and Healthcare Providers (NABH).

Announcing this at a press conference, Giridhar Gyani, Secretary General of the Quality Control of India (QCI), an autonomous body, which oversees the functioning of accreditation structures such as NABH, said that a memorandum of understanding (MoU) had been signed with the Australian Council on Health Care Standards (ACHS). The MoU would facilitate transfer of knowledge about the required quality standards, he said. Accreditation would involve a three step process — self-assessment by the hospitals, a pre-assessment by a team of two to five inspectors from NABH and then a final assessment. The pre-assessment charge would range from Rs. 25,000 to Rs. 50,000 depending on the size of the hospitals, while an annual charge of a minimum of Rs. 80,000 would be have to be paid by the hospitals. Sixteen hospitals, including Narayana Hrudayalaya and Escorts Hospital (Delhi), have applied for accreditation, but only one hospital, Malabar Institute of Medical Sciences (Kozhikode), has been able to reach the final assessment stage. Ninety assessors have been trained by ACHS under international standards and NABH and ACHS would jointly participate in site surveys during accreditation. NABH will be able to draw from the over 30 years of learning of ACHS and its accreditation will be simultaneously recognised by International Society for Quality in Health Care (ISQua), Mr. Gyani said.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail