:Achieving yet another significant milestone in the healthcare sector, Uttar Pradesh’s 35 additional health units have been awarded the National Quality Assurance Standards (NQAS) certificate.

Notably, this brings the total number of NQAS-certified health units in the state to 217. This certificate has been given to the state’s health units for quality treatment, meeting and exceeding health standards.

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It is noteworthy that inspired by the concrete efforts made to evaluate the service quality of health units under NQAS, Dr. Pinky Joval, Mission Director of the National Health Mission (NHM), recently instructed all Additional Directors and CMOs of the state through a letter to expedite their work in this area with the goal of certifying 50 percent of health units by 2025 and all health units by 2026.

NHM’s Mission Director Pinky Joval stated here on Friday that the impact of CM Yogi’s policies is becoming evident in the state’s health services. Under this initiative, affordable and quality treatment is being provided to the residents of the state at health units.

This is the reason why, in the past five months, 35 health units have received the NQAS certificate, including 32 Ayushman Arogya Mandirs and three Community Health Centers (CHCs).

NHM General Manager Quality Assurance Dr. Nishant Kumar Jaiswal said that the CHCs that received NQAS this year include Cholapur CHC of Varanasi and Bilaspur CHC of Rampur. With this, the number of NQAS-certified health units of UP has increased to 217.

National Quality Assessor for the NQAS certificate Dr Mustafa Khan said that once a health unit receives the NQAS certificate, it ensures that all patients visiting the unit will be treated according to international operating procedures and standard treatment guidelines.

This means that all patients can be confident that their treatment follows the same procedures as those used for patients in the USA or the UK. He added that the certificate also ensures the rights and responsibilities of patients and the satisfaction of the hospital staff.

In the state, a total of 95 Ayushman Arogya Mandirs and 122 other health units have received the NQAS certification. Among these, Lucknow has the highest number of NQAS-certified health units, with 15 units having received the certification.

Regarding this, Dr Pawan Kumar Aruna, Director of Balrampur Hospital, mentioned that after receiving the NQAS certification, the facilities for patients at their hospital have improved. The ICU has been updated, and the staff involved in the certification process have developed a stronger sense of responsibility.

Lucknow ranks first, with Civil Hospital, Jhalkari Bai Hospital, Avanti Bai Hospital, Rani Lakshmi Bai Hospital, Lokbandhu Hospital, RML Hospital, Bakshi Ka Talab, Sarojini Nagar CHC, and five Ayushman Arogya Mandirs receiving the NQAS certificate. Prayagraj is in second place, with 12 health units certified so far.

Districts with only one NQAS-certified health unit include Sitapur, Hardoi, Bareilly, Moradabad, Auraiya, Baghpat, Bahraich, Mainpuri, Mathura, Mau, Siddharthnagar, and Bulandshahr.

Notably, NQAS is a national certificate awarded by the Government of India’s ‘National Health System Resource Center’ (NHSRC). This certificate is granted to health units that meet various parameters after thorough evaluation. NQAS can be awarded not only to district hospitals but also to community health centres, primary health centres, and Ayushman Arogya Mandirs.

Under this, the services of the eight main departments of government hospitals are tested on parameters. These departments include the Inpatient Department, Radiology Department, Maternity Ward, OPD, Operation Theatre, Laboratory, Pharmacy, and Administrative Department.

The functioning of the service department is also evaluated. Additionally, the assessment team examines biometric attendance, e-treatment, the food provided to patients, and the behaviour of service providers.