SC issues notice on Nurses Association plea seeking policy for patient to doctor, nurse ratio in NABH Hospitals

New Delhi: A plea has been filed by the Indian Professional Nurses Association in the Supreme court seeking to consider formulating a fresh national accreditation policy that ensures adherence to the best patient-to-doctor and patient-to-nurse ratio in all the National Accreditation Board for Hospitals (NABH) hospitals.

A bench of Justices AS Bopanna and PS Narsimha issued notice to the Quality Council of India and others on the plea filed by the Indian Professional Nurses Association.

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Indian Professional Nurses Association (IPNA) has filed a petition seeking direction from concerned authorities to consider formulating a fresh national accreditation policy that ensures adherence to the best patient-to-doctor and patient-to-nurse ratio in all the NABH hospitals and hospitals that apply for NABH accreditation and to place on record the documents which it scrutinizes before granting accreditation to hospitals and constitute a committee to monitor the quality of patient care, patient safety, and patient satisfaction.

The petition was filed through advocate-on-record Dhiraj Abraham Philip and advocated by Robin Raju, Deepa Joseph, and Blessan Mathews.

IPNA, who claimed to be a Non-Governmental registered body working for the welfare of the nurses across India, submitted that the instant petition was moved on knowing that National Accreditation Board for Hospitals and Healthcare Providers (NABH) healthcare quality standards are basic standards for healthcare quality and patient safety does not assess the patient to doctor, patient, to nurse ratio.

"It is astounding to note that the respondent who is a constituent board of the Quality Council of India and is considered to be the apex national healthcare accreditation and quality improvement body, does not assess the patient-nurse ratio and it has no norms in that regard," the petition said.

The petition further added that it is also imperative to note that the Respondent assesses if a hospital is complying with the patient-nurse ratio from the documents submitted by the hospitals.

As per the petition, the quality Council of India was set up in 1997 by the Government of India jointly with the Indian industry as an autonomous body under the administrative control of the Department For Promotion Of Industry, And Internal Trade and this Department comes under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.

The petitioner submitted that non-adherence to the best patient-to-doctor ratio, and patient-to-nurse ratio causes immense physical and mental hardship to doctors and nurses presently employed in the NABH hospitals. The strict adherence of best nurses to patient and patient to doctor ratio is imperative in the current context of the new variant of Covid-19, and to avoid a situation akin to the second wave where doctors and nurses were overburdened and stressed out, the petition was submitted.

The petitioner urged the court to direct Respondents to consider formulating a new national accreditation policy that ensures adherence to the best patient-to-doctor and patient-to-nurse ratio in all the NABH hospitals and hospitals that apply for NABH accreditation.

The petition also sought to direct the Respondent National Accreditation Board to place on record the documents which it scrutinizes before granting accreditation to hospitals.

The petition also sought direction to direct the Respondents to constitute a committee to monitor the quality of patient care, patient safety, and patient satisfaction.

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