New Delhi: By October 31, 2024, a total of 16,586 healthcare facilities nationwide have received certification under the National Quality Assurance Standards (NQAS). Introduced to establish and monitor quality benchmarks, the NQAS framework ensures consistent, safe, and effective care by setting standards for service delivery and quality management across public healthcare facilities.
Responding to questions raised by Shri Madan Rathore, Dr. Parmar Jashvantsinh Salamsinh, and Shri Baburam Nishad during a Rajya Sabha session, Shri Pratap Rao Jadhav, Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare, confirmed the government’s commitment to improving healthcare quality through NQAS certification.
The Minister emphasized that the NQAS framework, implemented by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW), focuses on enhancing the quality of care in public health facilities. Initially applied to district hospitals, the standards were later expanded to include sub-district hospitals (SDHs), community health centers (CHCs), Ayushman Arogya Mandir – Urban Primary Health Centers (AAM-UPHCs), Ayushman Arogya Mandir – Primary Health Centers (AAM-PHCs), and Ayushman Arogya Mandir – Sub-Centers (AAM-SHCs).
To streamline compliance, the government leveraged digital technology by launching a virtual assessment platform for NQAS certification of Ayushman Arogya Mandir – Sub Health Centers (AAM-SHCs) on June 28, 2024. Additionally, the NQAS framework for Integrated Public Health Laboratories (IPHLs) was introduced on the same day to improve the accuracy and reliability of testing processes and results.
These efforts underline the government’s commitment to ensuring high-quality, patient-centric healthcare across the country.