Update on National Quality Assurance Standards
Update on National Quality Assurance Standards
The Government of India has implemented the National Quality Assurance Standards (NQAS) which is a comprehensive framework established by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW), aimed at ensuring and enhancing the quality of healthcare services provided at public health facilities.
Initially, the Standards were applied for District Hospitals, aiming to ensure that services provided through public health facilities are safe, patient-centric, and of assured quality. Subsequently, these standards were extended to Sub-District Hospitals (SDH), Community Health Centers (CHCs), Ayushman Arogya Mandir -Urban Primary Health Centre (AAM-UPHC), Ayushman Arogya Mandir- Primary Health Centre (AAM-PHC), and Ayushman Arogya Mandirs Sub-Centers (AAM-SHCs).
For ease of compliance in assessment, digital technology was leveraged and ‘Virtual Assessment for National Quality Assurance Standards (NQAS) Certification of Ayushman Arogya Mandir- Sub Health Centers (AAM-SHCs)’ was launched on 28th June, 2024.
On June 28, 2024, the National Quality Assurance Standards (NQAS) for Integrated Public Health Laboratories (IPHLs) were launched to enhance the accuracy and precision of testing processes and results.
As on 31st October 2024, a total of 16,586 number of health facilities have received NQAS certification in the country.
The details of criteria under which NQAS certification is given to the Public Health Facilities are available at the following URL:
https://qps.nhsrcindia.org/quality-assurance-framework/operational-guidelines
The Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare, Shri Prataprao Jadhav stated this in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha today.
****