VIJAYAWADA: Two government hospitals in Visakhapatnam received the National Accreditation Board for Hospitals & Healthcare Providers (NABH), conferred on best-performing hospitals, with Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy’s healthcare policies being credited for the same.
The accreditation was accorded to the Government Hospital for Mental Care and Government Chest Diseases Hospitals.
The Government Hospital for Mental Care in Visakhapatnam was established in 1860 and since 1950, it has been attached to the Andhra Medical College with a 300-bed facility.
Since Telangana was carved out as a separate state, it is the only psychiatric hospital catering to the needs of not only the state’s 13 districts, but also neighbouring Odisha, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh.
Officials said that the NABH was sought in February 2018 on the directions of the principal secretary for the department of health, medical and family welfare and the director of medical education, as part of implementing quality patient care in government hospitals.
“We underwent pre-assessment in February 2019 but due to Covid-19, we were unable to continue the implementation of NABH standards,” an official said.
Officials said that while they cleared all non-compliances stated in the 2019 assessment, the NABH Board asked for a re-verification as per the 5th edition of NABH standards.
The final assessment was done in June 2023 and a closure report on non-compliances raised was submitted. In August 2023, the accreditation committee issued the NABH certification to the Government Hospital for Mental Care, until August 9, 2026.
Officials said that it is the first NABH-certified government hospital with a psychiatry speciality.
The Government TB and Chest Hospital, also called as Government Hospital for Chest and Communicable Diseases, is located at Pedda Waltair in Visakhapatnam. It’s one of the most important government hospitals since its inception in 1961.
Officials said that NABH is a division of the Quality Council of India, set up to accredit hospitals, healthcare centres, blood banks, Ayush hospitals and healthcare facilities operating at multiple levels. This section has about 10 chapters, 100 standards and works with 503 objectives.
Officials said that for NABH certification, hospitals must meet quality standards in eight parameters, including service provision, patient rights, inputs, support services, clinical care, infection control, quality management, quality health services management and patient safety.
Minister for medical and health Vidadala Rajani said that the state government has taken steps to ensure that all teaching hospitals, district hospitals, area hospitals, PHCs, UPHCs, CHS, and VHCs meet National Quality Assurance Standards (NQAS).
She said that Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy has set goals for officials to provide health services to the people with the best standards. The minister credited the Chief Minister’s efforts for the accomplishments and said more hospitals are likely to follow suit.
