Introduction
As we all are aware, there is a resurgence of interest in the holistic systems of health care, especially in the prevention and management of chronic lifestyle related non communicable diseases and systemic diseases. Health sector trends suggest that no single system of health care has the capacity to solve all of the society’s needs. India can be a world leader in the era of integrative medicine because it has strong foundations in Western biomedical sciences and an immensely rich and mature indigenous medical heritage of its own.
The AYUSH industry also has responded on the same trend. There had been a significant rise in the health care facilities under AYUSH over the years. An average annual growth rate of 7.7% was realised in AYUSH hospitals during 1980 to 2007. There are 3360 AYUSH hospitals in the country as on 1.4.2007. System-wise distribution of hospitals indicate that 2402) were Ayurveda hospitals, whereas, 262, 277, 171 and 234 hospitals pertain to Unani, Siddha, Naturopathy and Homoeopathy systems respectively. There are 12 Yoga hospitals as well.
About NABH (National Accreditation Board For Hospitals and Healthcare Providers)
NABH is constituent board of Quality Council of India and has been set up by the Government of India. It’s Mission to help India achieve and sustain total quality and reliability in all areas of life, work, environment, product and services at individual, organizational, community and societal levels.
NABH has been running its Accreditation Program for hospitals successfully since more than 3 years with more than 40 hospitals and 3 small nursing homes accredited in India and over 300 hospitals and 80 small nursing homes in process. The NABH standards have been acclaimed by both by the Indian health industry and internationally by ISQua (International Society for Quality in Healthcare). Many other programs like the Small Healthcare Accreditation Program, Blood Bank Accreditation Program, PHC & CHC Accreditation Program, Medical Imaging Services, Wellness Centres etc. also strengthening the trust of the community and the industry. Various other Accreditation programs for Dental Institutions, Primary Urban health Centres etc. are in the pipeline.
Introducing Accreditation Standards for AYUSH Hospitals
Accreditation Program for AYUSH Hospitals consists of two kinds of standards - Accreditation Standards and Structural Standards. Accreditation standards are based on three components- structure, process and outcome. These standards measure the quality and safety aspects of the care delivered to the patients. Structural standards which are basically deals with infrastructural requirements to help the organisations to deliver quality of care. For each speciality i.e Ayurveda, Homeopathy, Unani, Siddha. Yoga and Naturopathy we have separate Accreditation and Structural Standards as per their individual system of medicine and requirements.
We introduce the following documents, which can be procured by writing to us or in person:
- Accreditation and Structural Standards for Ayurveda Hospitals
- Accreditation and Structural Standards for Homeopathy Hospitals
- Accreditation and Structural Standards for Unani Hospitals
- Accreditation and Structural Standards for Siddha Hospitals
- Accreditation and Structural Standards for Yoga and Naturopathy Hospitals
A minimum bed strength of 10 beds is essential for an AYUSH Hospital to be considered for the Accreditation Program.
The standards provide framework for quality assurance and quality improvement for the AYUSH hospitals. The standards focus on all aspects of service delivery like customer rights and education, infection control practices, trained and experienced staff, infrastructure, environment safety, processes and controls among many others, statutory & regulatory compliances.
The standards have been developed in association with the Department of AYUSH. The standards have been a product of extensive research and discussions of the technical committee for more than a year. The Technical Committee has representation from all the stakeholders i.e Department of AYUSH, Central Council for Research and Education of each speciality (Ayurveda, Siddha, Homeopathy, Unani, Yoga and Naturopathy) and the AYUSH industry. It has been reviewed by leading practioners, clinicians and administrators from the industry. The standards will continue to be dynamic document and would be under constant review and generally would be slated for revision at a defined frequency.
Benefits
Accreditation benefits all the stakeholders. Patients receive high quality and safe care. Patient satisfaction is regularly evaluated. Accreditation in AYUSH Hospitals stimulates a continuous improvement. It enables the AYUSH Hospitals in demonstrating commitment to quality service. It raises community confidence in the services provided by the AYUSH Hospitals. It also provides opportunity to AYUSH Hospitals to benchmark with the best.
Though the Accreditation Program for AYUSH Hospitals is a voluntary program but its is a mark of excellence which differentiates a accreditated organization from others in terms of quality care provided by them
Accreditation Process
The performance of the applicant organizations would be assessed on the basis of implementation of these standards in their organizations. The accreditation process would involve review of the documentation and 2 onsite visits by our trained assessors. Communication is maintained throughout the entire process between the applicant organization and NABH thereby making the entire process a very transparent one. Renewal of accreditation has to be done every 3 years.
Thus accreditation serves as an assurance of quality services from a reliable, safe and quality conscious operator to the consumer desiring the best. It would go a long way in enhancing the growth & credibility of the organization and also build patients trust in them.”
In case of any queries, please feel free to contact:
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