Kerala adds 5 more health centres to NQAS list

Thiruvananthapuram: Five more healthcare institutions in the state have received national quality accreditations, announced Health Minister Veena George. Among them, two institutions received fresh accreditation under the National Quality Assurance Standards (NQAS), while three institutions were reaccredited after three years. With this, a total of 253 healthcare institutions in Kerala have obtained NQAS accreditation. In the state, the accredited institutions include 8 district hospitals, 6 taluk hospitals, 13 community health centres, 46 urban family health centres, 163 family health centres, and 17 people’s health centres. The newly accredited centres are the Kunnathukal Family Health Centre in Thiruvananthapuram (94.42%) and the Anakkayam People’s Health Centre in Malappuram (88.35%). The reaccredited ones are the Kalladikkode Family Health Centre in Palakkad (90.60%), the Mundakkal Urban Primary Health Centre in Kollam (93.25%), and the Uliyakovil Urban Primary Health Centre in Kollam (95.36%). The NQAS accreditation is valid for three years. After this period, the national team conducts a reassessment. In addition, there will be annual state-level inspections. Only institutions that strictly comply with these standards will be eligible for reaccreditation. Accredited family health centres and urban primary health centres receive an annual incentive of 2 lakh rupees each, people’s health centres receive 18,000 rupees per package, and other hospitals receive 10,000 rupees per bed.