DIMAPUR, MAY 29 : Nikos Hospital and Research Centre, Dimapur on Sunday became the first hospital in the state to receive approval from the National Accreditation Board for Hospitals (NABH), and to have a Laparoscopic Training Centre recognized by the Federation of Obstetrics and Gynaecology Society of India (FOGSI).
The hospital on Sunday afternoon organized a ceremony to mark the dual recognition. According to managing director of the hospital, Dr Victo A Wotsa, the process of accreditation began to take shape almost a year ago.
This process, he shared, was met with derision from his counterparts in other hospitals as well as members of his own hospital staff when it was initially mooted. Dr Gayatri V Mahindroo, director of NABH asserted that it was “a big thing” for the hospital to acquire status as the only NABH accredited hospital in the state.
She said that quality medical care was not reserved only to the privileged people. “It is a demand of the times,” Dr Mahindroo said while asserting that NABH guidelines aim to ensure quality medical care to everyone.
“NABH standard is like the bible. It is a guideline on how to operate in a systematic manner. Because the skills acquired in medical schools need certain guidelines,” she added.
Minister of Health and Family Welfare, P Longon, speaking as the chief guest of the event, also hoped that the NABH accreditation of Nikos Hospital would set a trend of quality medical care in Nagaland.
President of Kohima Obstetrics and Gynaecology Society of Nagaland, Dr K Keditsu requested the state medical department to empanel all recognized hospitals in the state. This, he said, would result in reduction of loss from public exchequer.
According to Keditsu, most patients who go out of state to seek medical care do so because they get reimbursement. “It is not because they (the other hospitals) have better doctors or facilities. Ofcourse, we are not talking about big hospitals like AIIMS but the other smaller ones. They go there because they get reimbursement.”
This practice would stop once the state government would empanel the recognized hospitals in the state, Keditsu said. He suggested that this would cost the government far less than what it is paying as reimbursement to patients who opt for medical care outside Nagaland today.
