Karnataka sets deadline for hospitals to implement National Quality Assurance Standards
National Quality Assurance Standards Certification
Bengaluru: In a strong push to improve healthcare services, the Karnataka Health Department has directed all government hospitals across the state to meet the National Quality Assurance Standards (NQAS) within the next three months.
An official order issued by the state government on July 8 warns that hospitals failing to meet the deadline (3 months) will be disqualified from receiving benefits under the Ayushman Bharat Arogya Karnataka (AB-ARK) scheme - a state-supported healthcare programme for poor and middle-income families.
Also read- 16,586 health facilities receive NQAS certification in Country: MoS Health
If the standards are not implemented even after six months, the representatives of the concerned healthcare organisations will get a remark in their annual performance reports, which could result in their transfers.
If no progress is made within nine months, the annual salary increment of all heads and medical/paramedical officers/staff working in such health institutions will be withheld. In case of no progress, the staff will be held accountable for poor quality care or treatment, reports TNIE.
As per the order issued, the period between 2021 and 2030 is declared as the International Decade of Quality Service, and it is reported that more than 50% of the ailments at the global level are due to poor or delayed treatment.
The NQAS is a comprehensive framework developed by the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare to improve the quality of healthcare services in public health facilities. These standards, applicable to various levels of healthcare (District Hospitals, Community Health Centres, Primary Health Centres and Urban Primary Health Centres), focus on areas like service provision, patient rights, inputs, support services, clinical care, infection control, quality management, and outcomes. The goal is to ensure consistent, high-quality healthcare delivery across the nation by providing a structured approach to quality improvement and assessment.
Medical Dialogues had reported that Kerala achieved a significant milestone in the healthcare sector, with 200 government hospitals across the state receiving National Quality Assurance Standards (NQAS) certification, a prestigious national accreditation.
Also read- 200 Govt Hospitals in Kerala achieve NQAS Accreditation
