Meghalaya: Nazareth Hospital becomes State’s 1st to receive NABH entry level accreditation

SHILLONG: Taking a progressive step towards major quality improvement in order to increase viability, Nazareth Hospital in Meghalaya has joined the accreditation programme for hospitals and has become the first Healthcare organisation in Meghalaya to receive NABH Entry level Accreditation which is given in recognition of the systems and processes of the hospital which are laid down by the accreditation body for providing the best of services in patient care and safety.

The focus of this initiative which is being implemented by IMA's Hospital Board of India is on improved patient safety, quality of care and better infection control practices. The pre-accreditation entry level standards is looked as a stepping stone for enhancing the quality of patient care and safety. Such accreditation also helps many small and medium hospitals meet the provisions of the Clinical Establishment Act.

National Accreditation Board for Hospitals and Health Care Providers (NABH), a fully autonomous constituent Board of the quality Council of India (QCI) has been set up to establish and operate accreditation programs for hospitals, health care organisations and set benchmarks for the progress of the health Industry.

Entry Level Accreditation of NABH was given to Nazareth Hospital as it had met the set of Standards laid by NABH covering patient safety, continuity of care, Patients' Rights and Responsibilities, Continuous Quality Improvement, Control and prevention of Infections, practicing good patient care protocols and better and controlled clinical outcome.

As large number of hospitals face challenges and difficulties in implementing all the Accreditation Standards, NABH has developed Pre-Accreditation Entry Level Certification standards, in consultation with various stake holders in the country, as a stepping stone for enhancing the quality of patient care and safety. The aim is to introduce quality and accreditation to the Health Care Organisations (HCO) as their first step towards awareness and capacity building. Once Pre Accreditation Entry Level Certification is achieved, the HCO can then prepare and move to the next stage – Progressive Level and finally to Full Accreditation status.

Such an accreditation being given to Nazareth Hospital is a matter of pride for the healthcare sector in Meghalaya as it means that the Hospital met the established list of protocols and policies as per National/International Standards for patient care, medication management, consent process, patient safety, clinical outcomes, medical records, infection control and staffing.

Being eligible for such accreditation also highlights a key factor of Nazareth Hospital which is transparency at every level together with a continuous monitoring of its services for improvement.

Accreditation to Nazareth Hospital will eventually stimulate a continuous improvement and this will only see a likely betterment in the months to come. Such accreditation will enable in demonstrating commitment to quality care. It will raise community confidence in the services provided by the hospital while also providing an opportunity to the healthcare unit to benchmark with the best.

The entry level accreditation which has been given to Nazareth Hospital has been welcomed by many as an encouraging step towards better healthcare. This step is being seen as a much needed move in improving the overall professional development of Clinicians and Para Medical Staff. It is for certain that an accredited hospital will also see its most important component, its staff, working as a satisfied lot as the hospital will now provide for continuous learning, good working environment, leadership and above all ownership of clinical processes.

So far, hospitals in Northeast have been shying away from getting themselves accredited and this has been attributed to incorrect information about the whole process. There has been a lack of awareness together with apprehension that there will be a lot of cost involved in upgrading facilities coupled with a sense of apprehension on the nitty-gritty involved in voluntary accreditation processes.

Accreditation to the standardised NABH norms will also help reduce the growing number of litigation arising out of medical negligence. It has to be kept in mind that patient satisfaction lies at the core of healthcare services thereby making it incumbent on the hospitals and other healthcare providers to constantly upgrade their functioning and maintaining high standards.

(TNT News)

(Featured Image Source: Internet/ Representational)