Indian Confederation for Healthcare Accreditation (ICHA), the confederation of the National Associations / Institutions of all stakeholders in healthcare industry, is organising a "National Convention for Achieving Excellence in Healthcare in India" on July 2 at New Delhi.
Committed to the establishment of a comprehensive healthcare accreditation system for the country, ICHA expects the convention to achieve convergence of views of all stakeholders and thereby help develop a credible accreditation system. The convention would have session on the world's experience with healthcare accreditation, quality and guidelines, to be followed by a scrutiny of ICHA model. Its plan of action would be discussed by participant stakeholders for concessions, convergence and committed steps forward, Akhil K. Sangal, CEO, ICHA informed.
According to him, the convention, slated to be a landmark event, being attended by all stakeholders and the "Who's Who in the healthcare" and International speakers, may well mark the beginning of a journey to excellence and the cherished goal of making India a developed nation. Union ministry of health and family welfare and WHO India has pledged support for the programme, he informed.
ICHA, incorporated as a not-for-profit Section 25 Company in October 2004, was an outcome of consultations and interactive talks between various groups of professionals and stakeholders in the healthcare industry since 2002. The main objective of ICHA is to create a mechanism to develop a continuously improving, self-regulating, patient-centred healthcare delivery system for the benefit of all concerned. This is in line with worldwide accreditation practices in various national systems of major countries, Dr Sangal said.
"If India is to become a preferred healthcare destination, as pronounced in the National Health Policy, internationally acceptable and highly credible accreditation systems are a necessary prerequisite. Various studies and reports have, in the past, emphasised the necessity of such a system. Even healthcare insurance cannot gain momentum without accreditation. The creation of standardised benchmarks addresses a long-felt need in the Indian healthcare industry, which currently has widely varying standards", he explained.
Comprehensive accreditation addresses all the dimensions of healthcare such as appropriateness, availability, continuity, effectiveness, responsive & caring delivery, safety and risk minimisation and timeliness. The Indian healthcare industry has reached a stage where such a system of accreditation is vital. The creation of benchmarks through peer-review by professionals is far more credible than externally imposed standards. A credible and transparent accreditation process is of assistance to all stakeholders that is, providers, receivers and users, payers and funders, and educators and regulators, he added.
The associations that have been invited to be part of the convention are: Association of Physicians of India (API), Association of Surgeons of India (ASI), All India Ophthalmological Society (AIOS), Indian Society of Anaesthesiologists (ISA), Academy of Hospital Administration (AHA), Indian Pharmaceutical Association (IPA), Indian Hospital Pharmacists' Association, ( IHPA), Indian Association of Medical Informatics (IAMI), Indian College of Pathologists (ICP), All India Management Association (AIMA), Association of Minimal Access Surgeons of India (AMASI), Association of Health and Hospital Administration (AHHA), Indian Medical Association (IMA), National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), National Board of Examinations ( NBE), Association of Indian Universities (AIU), Medical Council of India (MCI), Dental Council of India (DCI), Indian Nursing Council (INC ), Pharmacy Council of India (PCI), Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority (IRDA), Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), Federation of Obs. & Gynae. Societies of India ( FOGSI), Trained Nurses Association of India, (TNAI), Indian Academy of Paediatrics, (IAP), Indian Radiological and Imaging Association, (IRIA), Paediatric Orthopaedic Society of India, ( POSI), Indian Orthopaedic Association (IOA) Association of Otolaryngologists of India (AOI), Indian Association of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (IAPMR ), Indian Association of Preventive and Social Medicine (IAPSM), International Medical Sciences Academy (IMSA), National Academy of Medical Sciences ( NAMS), All India Council for Technical Education ( AICTE), Consultancy Development Centre, (CDC), Indian Science Writers Association, (ISWA), Indian Orthodontic Society (IOS), Association of Clinical Biochemists of India ( ACBI), Indian Dietetics Association (IDA), Endocrine Society of India (ESI), Times Foundation, Cardiological Society of India (CSI), Indian Society of Nephrology ( ISN), Indian Association of Gastrointestinal Endo Surgeons (IAGES), Indian Institute of Architects (IIA), Consumer Coordination Council (CCC), Association of Medical Consultants ( AMC), Indian Association of Dermatology, Venereology and Leprology (IADVL), Indian Psychiatric Society (IPS), Indian Association of Practising Psychiatrists (IAPP ), Indian Society of Gastroenterology (ISG), Neurological Society of India (NSI), Indian Cooperative Oncology Network (ICON) , Indian Society of Haematology and Transfusion Medicine ( ISHTM), Indian Association of Occupational Health (IAOH), All India Occupational Therapists Association (AIOTA), Indian Society of Neuroanaesthesiology and Critical Medicine (ISNCM), Indian Society of Psychiatric Nurses (ISPN) , Society of Indian Radiographers (SOIR) , Association of Colorectal Surgeons of India (ACRSI), Indian Association of Endocrine Surgeons ( IAES), Association of Genito-Urinary Surgeons of India (AGUSI), Indian Association of Paediatric Surgeons of India (IAPS), Association of Surgeons of India - Speciality Chapter( ASRI), Indian Association of Surgical Gastroenterology (IASG), Indian Association of Surgical Oncology (IASO), Association of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgeons of India ( ATCVSI), Association of Plastic Surgeons of India (APSI), Indian Dental Association (IDA), Indian Society for Medical Statistics (ISMS), Indian Public Health Association ( IPHA), All India General Practitioners' Association (AIGPA), Indian Association of Medical Microbiologists (IAMM), Indian Society of Parasitology (ISP), General Insurance Public Sector Association of India (GIPSA), Indian Academy of Cytologists (IAC) , Indian Rheumatology Association (IRA) , Indian Academy of Neurology (IAN) , Urological Society of India (USI) , Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI), Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI), Confederation of Indian Industry (CII ), Standing Conference on Public Enterprises (SCOPE), PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PHDCCI), Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), Quality Council of India ( QCI), Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), Indian Healthcare Federation (IHF), Indian Society of Midwives (ISM), Christian Medical Association of India ( CMAI), Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), Editors' Guild of India (EGI), Indian Society of Dental Research (ISDR), Indian Society of Periodontology ( ISP), Tuberculosis Association of India (TB AI), Indian Leprosy Association (ILA), Diabetic Association of India (DAI), Nursing Research Society of India (NRSI), Christian Medical Association of India (CMAI) and Indian Optometric Association (I Opto A).