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2000 — 2010
NABH
Wake up to Meet Norms An autonomous body set up by the Government of India is operating accreditation programme for healthcare organisations
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n the modern age of marketisation, hospitals create an image of themselves that need not provide the true picture and this can result in a wide gap between the actual position and the expectations of the patients. To bridge this gap, the Quality Council of India has introduced the concept of accreditation. National Accreditation Board for Hospitals & Healthcare Providers (NABH) is an offshoot of the Quality Control of India (QCI), an autonomous body set up by the Government of India, with industry support, to establish and operate accreditation programme for healthcare organisations. NABH is doing a yeomans’service for the country through various accredita-
tions like NABH (for secondary and tertiary care, large hospitals), SHCO (for smaller hospitals/single specialty hospitals), NABH for blood banks, NABH for radiology diagnostic centres and NABH for dental. It has also been involved in setting standards for AYUSH hospitals, wellness centre and some basic primary care services as well. Accreditation seal bestows on the hospital a “badge of recognition” that the hospital fulfills the essential parameters that result in better quality care. From registration, admission, pre-surgery, peri-surgery and post-surgery protocols to discharge of patients from the hospital to follow-up consultation after discharge, the standards cover everything.
NABH also conducts regular inspections on the premises of the hospitals accredited to it. It even has norms covering aspects such as how to clean the floor, quality of linen used in the hospital. “Unfortunately the ultimate consumer, the patient, is not much aware of its existence. Just as agmark, ISI and hallmark are recognition of the quality of the product they respectively serve, NABH must become of the same, if not better, recognised symbol of healthcare quality,” says Dr Narottam Puri, Chairman, NABH. He adds, “A lot of work has been done and is continuing….creating awareness amongst the consumers of healthcare must remain an important point on the agenda.”
Just as agmark, ISI and hallmark are recognition of the quality of the product they respectively serve, NABH must become of the same, if not better, recognised symbol of healthcare quality.
Dr Narottam Puri Chairman, NABH
January 2011 < www.ehealthonline.org <
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