National Quality Assurance Standards have been developed keeping in the specific requirements for public health facilities as well global best practices. NQAS are currently available for District Hospitals, CHCs, PHCs and Urban PHCs. Standards are primarily meant for providers to assess their own quality for improvement through pre defined standards and to bring up their facilities for certification. The National Quality Assurance Standards are broadly arranged under 8 "Areas of Concern"– Service Provision, Patient Rights, Inputs, Support Services, Clinical Care, Infection Control, Quality Management and Outcome. These standards are ISQUA accredited and meets global benchmarks in terms of comprehensiveness, objectivity, evidence and rigour of development.

Quality certification

Quality Certification program for public health facilities has been launched with aim of recognizing the good preforming facilities as well improving credibility of public hospitals in community. Certification is provided against National Quality Assurance Standards (NQAS) on meeting pre-determined criteria. Certified facilities are also provided financial incentives as recognition of their good work.

Even though NQAS was stated in the year 2013, Kerala was not able to accredit many institutions with NQAS because of certain check points in the NQAS check list which are not suitable for Kerala S socio economic and health conditions. Last year state took initiatives to customize the NQAS check list according to Kerala standards with the help of NHSRC and the checklist were customized according to Kerala conditions in November 2017. The checklist customization was done by removing some items irrelevant to Kerala conditions and by adding PALIATIVE CARE into the check list.

After customizing the check list kerala has made tremendous progress in NQAS accreditation. 88 institutions from the state have already qualified in state level assessments and applied for national level certification. Out of this , Assessments are over in 66 institutions and all the 64 institutions whose results are declared got NQAS accredited. 2 institutions are waiting for results and 22 are waiting for national level assessments. TH Chalakudy got 98.08 % in national level NQAS assessment and become the topper in SDH category in the national level. FHC KAYYUR,Kasaragode district and FHC POOZHANAD ,Trivandrum scored 99% in NQAS national assessment and become national topper in PHC Category . FHC Noollpuzha Wyanadand FHCCheruthazham Kannur scored 98 % in NQAS national level assessment and become second toppersamong the PHC s of the country. PHC Valiyaparamba ,Kasaragode, FHC Malapattam ,Kannur, fhcKankolalapadambakannur and FHC Valapattanam ,kannur bagged the third place by scoring 97% marks. PHC PurakkadAlappuzha,PHCPanavally Alappuzha and FHC Karinthalamkasaragode scored 96 % in national level assessment. W& C hospital Kozhikode Shares the first prize in district level hospital category with 96% marks in NQAS assessments

Mechanized mopping machines were provided to all Taluk hospitals and District level hospitals in the year 2019-20 using funds sanctioned in ROP 2019-20. 19797 Sets of seven colour bed sheets were purchased and distributed to all taluk hospitals and district level hospitals using the funds sanctioned in ROP 19-20.

In the financial year 2020-21 Kerala is planning to take up NQAS accreditation in a large scale. We are targeting NQAS certification of all the newly formed FHC,s. At least one Taluk Hospital one CHC in each district( total 28, two in each district) and one district level hospital in each district will be going NQAS Certification.

Our action plan for next financial year is

• 50 applications by August 31st
• 80 applications by November 30 th
• 110 applications by JAN 31 ST
• 150 applications by March 31sT