The Indian Confederation for Healthcare Accreditation (ICHA), the country's first autonomous healthcare accreditation body promoted by various associations in the medical profession and allied sectors has become a reality with seven founding member associations getting the body registered as a not-for-profit (Section 25) Company in Delhi. The initial subscribers of ICHA are API (Physicians), ASI (Surgeons), ISA (Anaesthetists), AIOS (Ophthalmologists), IPA (Pharmacy), IHPA (Hospital Pharmacy) and AHA (Hospital Administration). The necessary applications for License and Registration as well as Memorandum and Articles of Association were finalized on February 15, 2004.
Maj. Gen. Dr. S. Venkataraman (API), Dr. BVR Sastry (ISA) and S.L. Nasa (IHPA) were nominated as the initial directors and were entrusted to complete the necessary formalities. Dr. Akhil K. Sangal, Convener Healthcare Accreditation Secretariat is the founder CEO of this company.
The primary objective of the body would be to come out with a comprehensive guideline for the healthcare establishments in the country. Constant updation of guidelines based on evidence and consensus, generic standards on common issues (eg. records, consent, patient participation in decision making etc), processes of internal audit guidelines, code of ethics for each specialty, recognition and rewards for excellence are all part of the visualized structure and activities of the proposed body. All processes and guidelines are to be made by people who do the actual work in conjunction with input providers and output receivers.
According to Dr Sangal, ICHA has already received nine subscriptions from the associations. Sixty three senior professionals and two organisations have enrolled as affiliates of ICHA. "Healthcare affects us all and is thus everybody's responsibility and urges everybody to participate and contribute and make it a success for everybody's sake", Dr Sangal said.
"Worldwide, an autonomous, professional driven system has been the most successful mechanism to bring about continuous quality improvement in the healthcare delivery systems for the benefit of all - be it the patients (receivers and users), providers (healthcare professionals and facility owners), payers and funders as well as educators and regulators, the major stakeholder groups in the healthcare delivery. Such a system needs everybody's involvement. That may be the toughest part and the key to success," he observed.
In his words, accreditation is the process of evaluating and recognizing excellence in healthcare delivery for whole hospitals, integrated service delivery networks and other such systems as well as professional activities. It is a voluntary process of development and education through consultation, participation and professionalisation and independent peer review.
He requested all other stakeholder associations to join as well as the individual and organisational affiliates to create a widely held, consensus based comprehensive healthcare accreditation system for India.