Signalling an encouraging turnaround to the otherwise lackadaisical functioning of the public sector healthcare delivery system, a number of government hospitals in Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat have taken steps to get them rated by the National Accreditation Board for Hospitals and Healthcare (NABH).

Some of the public sector hospitals in the states of Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat have approached the NABH for launching steps towards accreditation, which has so far remained as a credibility lure for the corporate hospitals in the country.

Speaking to Pharmabiz, NABH accreditation committee chairman Dr Y P Bhatia said, the Board had already visited some of the public sector hospitals and sat through their presentations. Some training, consultancy and workshops were also being given to them. "If the corporate hospitals can do it, why can't the public sector emulate it? They are capable of pulling it off. The senior officials manning them are willing to garner financial support for the purpose and are enthusiastic on the prospects," he informed.

As the very culture of accreditation is in its early stages in the country, it may take a couple of years to finally accord accreditation to a public sector hospital after the long mandatory procedures, he admitted. The attitude towards the accreditation systems, though purely voluntary, has changed completely in the last six months and the hospitals now are chasing the Board for initiating steps, he added.

He said, technical committees had been formed to finalise separate standards for laboratories and one-man clinics. The standards for blood banks would be announced soon. The NABH official however clarified that it was yet to decide on finalising separate norms in place for tertiary, secondary hospitals and public sector hospitals.

So far 40 hospitals have applied for accreditation and six of them, from New Delhi, Kerala and Kolkota, got it. There are also steps for framing standards for diagnostic centres, imaging services, dental and ayurveda hospitals with a view to improve the whole range of healthcare delivery system.

According to estimates by the Board, about 250 hospitals in the secondary and tertiary sector would be able to comply with the NABH standards in the next two years. Thus a total of 550 hospitals (including 300 medical colleges) are likely to be accredited under the programme in its first phase.