Rajahmundry: State run health centres aim for NQAS certificate

Rajahmundry: In a bid to provide quality health care at government run health centres on par with corporate hospitals in urban, rural and Agency areas equally, health authorities have targeted to get National Quality Assurance Standards (NQAS) certification to as many as 30 health centres in East Godavari by the end of 2019.

Teams of experts from New Delhi based National Health Systems Resource Centre inspected the Primary Health Centres at Lakkavaram and also at Rampachodavaram in Agency areas recently to find out the kind of medical equipment installed at the centres, professional qualifications of the health personnel, along with their experience and expertise, and the quality of health care being provided to the patients as per the protocol of individualised healthcare plan, based on other parameters. The district health authorities are expecting a positive response from the experts.

NHSRC experts are scheduled to visit a community health centre at P. Gannavaram and also a Primary Health Centre at Maredumilli in Rampachodavaram agency shortly for assessment to give NQAS certification. The health authorities are making all necessary arrangements for the visit of the experts shortly.

The district hospital in Rajahmundry, area hospital in Amalapuram and   Ramachandrapuram got NQAS certification in 2018 based on the quality of medical equipment, compliance with all requisite protocols in providing medical and healthcare to the people and also for having highly qualified and experienced health personnel at these health centres.

Drawing inspiration from several health centres, getting NQAS certification, the district medical and health authorities have targeted to get such certification to 20 to 30 health centres, including area hospitals, community health centres and primary health care centres in the next few months.

The district hospital in Kakinada is a teaching hospital attached to one of the premier and old medical colleges in the state, called Rangaraya Medical College, and it is also getting ready to get accreditation from the National Accreditation Board for Hospitals and health care providers in the country shortly.

The district medical and health authorities said that the advantage in getting NQAS certification to the health centres, is that budget allocation from the centre will be enhanced to `10,000 per bed from the present `6,000 per annum.

This makes a major difference with regard to providing medical and healthcare to the patients by procuring standard, quality medical equipment and also by hiring highly skilled doctors and other health personnel.

East Godavari medical and health officer Dr. Ramesh Kishore said, “We have targeted to get NQAS certification to the health centres, ranging from 20 to 30 located in urban, rural and Agency areas by the end of 2019  so that the quality of healthcare being provided in government-run health centres will be on par with that in corporate hospitals.”