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.
In a press release deputy chief medical officer (CMO), Dr. Antoly Suu informed that the national level NQAS certification assessors for UPHC Duncan were associate professor, Dr. B.R. Sur HMC, Delhi, Dr. Amar Bodhi and hospital manager, VIMSAR Burla, Odhisa Kirtiman Mahanta while UPHC Burma Camp was assessed by state consultant, Tata Trust Bhopal, Dr. Rehan Ahmad Qureshi and Kirtiman Mahanta.
The NQAS external assessors were appointed by the ministry of Health & Family Welfare and after examining the health facilities, the assessors would determine if these health facilities are eligible for the certification.
It may be mentioned that NQAS certification programme, which is the highest national quality certification was launched in 2013 to improve the quality of care in public health facilities of India and to recognise good performing facilities and improve credibility of public hospitals in the community.
The certification is provided against meeting pre-determined NQAS criteria.
Quality assurance standards are primarily meant for health care providers to assess their quality for improvement in health care services through pre-determined standards and to bring up their facilities for this coveted certification.
The release also informed that National quality assurance standards were broadly arranged under eight areas of concern—service provision, patient rights, inputs, support services, clinical care, infection control, quality management and outcome.
Deputy CMO informed that these standards were International Society for Quality in Health Care (ISQua) accredited and meets global benchmarks in terms of comprehensiveness, objectivity, evidence and rigour of development.
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.
UPHC Seikhazou, Kohima is the only NQAS certified public health facility in Nagaland, deputy CMO informed.
