NABH or National Accreditation Board for Hospitals & Healthcare Providers is a constituent board of the Quality Council of India, which was mainly formed to establish and operate accreditation programs for healthcare...
Introduction
NABH or National Accreditation Board for Hospitals & Healthcare Providers is a constituent board of the Quality Council of India, which was mainly formed to establish and operate accreditation programs for healthcare organizations in the country.
Healthcare is a sensitive field as it is related to the health and well-being of the general population. For example, in maintaining and improving the quality of blood transfusion some parameters need to be followed and it calls for certain quality indicators that should be made mandatory. To achieve this there should be constant monitoring of such indicators and if there are any deficiencies they need to be corrected immediately. So a board to keep a vigil over all this is necessary. This is where NABH comes in.
NABH board has the support of the industry, consumers, and government, but acts with full autonomy.
The main function of NABH is to operate accreditation and allied programs along with stakeholders with a deep focus on improving patients’ safety and robust quality of healthcare, which is at par with international counterparts. Hence there is a detailed process of self-evaluation as well as well external evaluation.
So, is NABH a government body?
NABH is managed by a unique governing body that has members from the government of India, members from private hospitals, representatives from public health, and members from private associations like CII, FICCI, ASSOCHAM, etc.
This is worth mentioning that the Indian Medical Association (IMA) has made it mandatory for government hospitals to have NABH Accreditation. It is after the IRDA (Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority) decreed that all private hospitals should be certified by the NABH.
So, why do hospitals need NABH?
Hospitals having NABH accreditation are treated as institutions that put great emphasis and commitment to quality care and patient safety measures. This shows that those hospitals are committed to the best clinical outcomes.
It immensely increases the confidence of the people in those institutions having the NABH stamp because the services provided by them would be from credentialed staff. It also helps the hospitals to benchmark with the best.
Having a NABH accreditation status also gives an advantage in marketing in a competitive environment in healthcare. It is a way to promote health tourism as well. It is a great help in empanelment by insurance companies and other third parties. So, there are many benefits for a hospital to be accredited by NABH.
Even the staff of these hospitals reaps the benefits. They get to learn continuously and get a very great working environment, and leadership. There is constant improvement in the efficiency and competency of the staff in an accredited hospital.
In a NABH-accredited hospital, there is overall professional development, competencies, and knowledge systematically. There is the presence of defined ownership and accountability of all the staff. This includes even the medical and paramedical staff members.
Accreditation is a great facilitator and one can access information that is not only dependable but also certified on infrastructure, level of care, and facilities, etc.
Under which ministry does NABH come?
NABH comes under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.
So, how is NABH implemented in a hospital? Once a hospital is satisfied with a self-assessment, it then makes an application to NABH for Accreditation attaching all required documents and fees. After that NABH will conduct its pre-assessment and evaluate all documents provided by the hospital. It will highlight the corrections and check how well-prepared the hospital is for the final assessment.
Once the required corrective actions are completed there will be a final assessment, which will be done by NABH. It will do a comprehensive review of all the hospital functions and its services. The NABH Accreditation Committee will make a final report based on the final review and accordingly provide a NABH Accreditation. The Accreditation is valid for a period of three years subject to terms and conditions.
People usually wonder why most government hospitals are not accredited by NABH.
It is important to note that the standards are very high and there are rigorous eligibility criteria to get accreditation from NABH.
The NABH team is very stringent and judges the quality standards of the hospital based on 480 parameters, which can be overwhelming. For example, if a patient is kept in the hospital for more days than required, it can be a parameter to disqualify.
Patients’ right to quality care under NABH
It is not only laying down strict rules to get NABH accreditation, even patients are empowered with NABH. Patients have the right to quality care under NABH. All patients are entitled to receive safe, effective, and high-quality healthcare services as per the NABH guidelines. The tenets of NABH say that it is the right of patients to get the best possible medical treatment and there should not be any discrimination based on caste, gender, religion, etc.
Patients even have the right to complain under the ‘rights and responsibilities of NABH’. All patients are given the power to complain and give feedback about their healthcare experience, and there would be no repercussions or retaliation.
Patients can go and officially complain to the designated officer in the vicinity of the hospital and initiate a course of action if he has been wronged in any way. There is also the right to communicate by the patient, and they have an absolute right to know whether a hospital has support services to offer.
The patient should also be apprised about any pain management or pain relief methods if they want to know, under the NABH directives.
No patient can be transferred to another hospital or ward until the hospital authorities have satisfactorily conveyed the reason for why they are doing this. Patients are given the right to remain where they are.
The first NABH hospital in India
Before you want to know about the NABH-accredited labs near you, it is worthwhile to know of the first hospital to be accredited by NABH. It is the B M Birla Heart Research Center. So far, there are more than 838 hospitals in India that have NABH Accreditation. Gandhinagar General Hospital remains the first hospital among public hospitals to get NABH accreditation in 2009. You can get all the information about NABH labs near for any diagnostic tests your doctor may have ordered.
In 2022, NABH launched its new portal for 5th edition hospital accreditation standards, after great efforts by the QCI team members and NABH secretariat. The new portal is even better in providing transparency and objectivity. It will ensure a quicker turnaround time and will also accept mobile applications for real-time assessment processes.
Is it mandatory to have NABH accreditation in India?
Earlier, it was not mandatory and completely voluntary. As a result, very few hospitals registered for it. Its norms are very strict for healthcare organizations to follow easily. However, it is now compulsory for healthcare providers and hospitals to have an entry-level certificate from NABH, which will be valid for two years.
Conclusion
So, we have seen the benefits of NABH accreditation for all stakeholders. The patients are the biggest beneficiaries among the lot, which is the main purpose. It is because of the accreditation there is high quality of care and patient safety. The NABH accreditation ensures that patients get care from credentialed medical staff. And the patients have also been emboldened with so many rights accorded to them. After all, the primary objective is to provide optimum care to patients and raise the bar of healthcare in the country.
FAQs
What is NABH approved?
NABH (National Accreditation Board for Hospitals & Healthcare Providers) is referred to as a constituent board of the Quality Council of India (QCI), which was formed to build and run an accreditation program for hospitals and healthcare facilities. The organizations which have NABH accreditation are NABH approved.
How many levels are there in NABH?
For pre-accreditation entry-level standards for hospitals, NABH has 10 chapters incorporating 45 standards and 167 objective elements.
Who can apply for NABH accreditation?
There are different eligibility criteria for applying for the NABH assessor’s course. For clinicians: MBBS or PG in Clinical degree with 10 years of experience of which five years must be spent in a hospital. As a part of the course, a copy of the NABH standard and the course study material will be provided.
What is the process of NABH?
The department will assign a principal inspector or valuation team who is responsible for making a pre-assessment of the hospitals. The Accreditation certificate will be issued after passing the final assessment. NABH will then issue a certificate of accreditation to the particular hospital for three years.
Who is the NABH assessor?
NABH (National Accreditation Board for Hospitals & Healthcare Providers) is India's top and foremost healthcare assessment and accreditation provider. To become a NABH assessor, the candidate has to be a suitably qualified professional who will meet the eligibility criteria of NABH.
