Dimapur, May 8 (EMN): The national-level National Quality Assurance Standards (NQAS) certification assessments were carried out at urban primary health centre (UPHC), Duncan, on May 4 and 5 and at UPHC, Burma Camp, on May 6 and 7.
An update from the office of the chief medical officer (CMO), Dimapur, informed that NQAS certification programme is the highest national quality certification, which was launched in 2013 with an aim to improve the quality of care in public health facilities of India and to recognise good performing facilities as well as improving credibility of public hospitals in the community. The certification is provided against meeting pre-determined NQAS criteria, adding that quality assurance standards are primarily meant for healthcare providers to assess their own quality for improvement in healthcare services through pre-determined standards and to bring up their facilities for the coveted certification.
It stated that NQAS are broadly arranged under eight areas of concern such as service provision, patient rights, inputs, support services, clinical care, infection control, quality management and outcome. The standards are International Society for Quality in Healthcare (ISQua) accredited and meets global benchmarks in terms of comprehensiveness, objectivity, evidence and rigour of development.
It mentioned that UPHC Seikhazou in Kohima district is the only NQAS certified public health facility in Nagaland. It added that UPHC Duncan and UPHC Burma Camp under National Urban Health Mission (NUHM), Dimapur, have qualified for national-level NQAS assessment through the peer-level NQAS assessment and state-level NQAS assessment.
The national-level NQAS certification assessors for UPHC Duncan included associate professor Dr. Amar Bodhi, Dr. BR Sur from HMC, Delhi, and hospital manager at VIMSAR Burla in Odisha Kirtiman Mahanta, while UPHC Burma Camp was assessed by Tata Trust state consultant from Bhopal Dr. Rehan Ahmad Qureshi, and Kirtiman Mahanta.
The NQAS external assessors were appointed by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, government of India. It further stated that after examining the health facilities, the assessors would determine if those health facilities are eligible for the certification.