Latest news with #NQAS
Hindustan Times
a day ago
- Health
- Hindustan Times
Punjab to hire retired doctors to assess quality of health care in govt facilities
In a move aimed at improving health care delivery in government-run facilities, the Punjab government has decided to hire retired doctors to conduct quality assessments. In the circular issued to all civil surgeons – HT has a copy of it – the state health department has invited applications from retired doctors to conduct National Quality Assurance Standards (NQAS) assessments under the National Health Mission (NHM). As per the written orders, these retired professionals will be empanelled to carry out assessments of district hospitals, community health centres, primary health centres (PHCs), Urban PHCs (UPHCs), and sub centres. 'Applicants must have a sound understanding of public health systems. Preference will be given to those having previous experience or training in quality improvement initiatives or NQAS assessments,' reads the health department's letter. Currently, 1,962 (51%) out of the total 3,847 sanctioned posts of general medical officers are lying vacant. A similar situation prevails in the specialist cadre, where 990 (47%) of the 2,098 sanctioned posts are vacant. Meanwhile, the Punjab civil medical services association (PCMSA) said the government should give priority to young doctors in recruitment. Dr Akhil Sarin, state president, PCMSA, said, 'Instead of giving jobs to young doctors, the government is hiring retired doctors. This move by the government is not in the right direction. We demand that young doctors should be given priority in every recruitment.'
Time of India
21-05-2025
- Health
- Time of India
200 health centres get NQAS certification
Patna: As many as 200 health and wellness centres (HWCs) in 32 districts of Bihar have been awarded the state-level National Quality Assurance Standards (NQAS) certification, health minister Mangal Pandey announced on Wednesday. He said the certification was based on a detailed assessment of services provided at health institutions, according to a framework developed by the ministry of health and family welfare (MoHFW). The evaluation is conducted under eight "areas of concern" – service provision, patient rights, inputs, support services, clinical care, infection control, quality management and outcome. Pandey said the state govt was committed to providing better healthcare facilities and services in all govt-run institutions. "Their excellent qualities are now being certified as well," he added. "Emphasis is being laid on better treatment through improved infrastructure and quality health services in the state's health institutions," Pandey said. Stressing the need for continued improvement in healthcare standards, the minister said, "The quality health services available at the health and wellness centres will increase the confidence of the poor sections of society and the community as a whole. A healthy Bihar will be created with significant changes in health indices," he added.
Time of India
19-05-2025
- Health
- Time of India
Mizoram hospital gets NQAS with 92.89% pts
Aizawl: The State Referral Hospital at Falkawn village, which is also designated as Aizawl West district hospital as well as Zoram Medical College & Hospital , has bagged the National Quality Assurance Standards (NQAS) by scoring 92.89% points while the maternity department of the hospital secured Platinum Certificate in LaQshya, a press statement issued by the state health and family welfare department said on Monday. The hospital's maternity operation theatre (OT) bagged 98.26% points, while the labour room and the paediatric department of the hospital scored 92.88% and 92.80%, respectively. The paediatric department received the MusQan certificate. Other primary health centres (PHCs) which have bagged the NQAS are — Chhipphir PHC (92.48%), Phuldungsei PHC (91.27%), West Phaileng PHC (89.47%) and Bilkhawthlir PHC (94.94%). Mizoram health minister Lalrinpuii said bagging national level certificates is a sign of healthcare improvement which is an important milestone for Mizoram and good news for the people, especially patients being treated in govt facilities.
Time of India
18-05-2025
- Health
- Time of India
Madurai UPHC to get ₹1.47 crore expansion to meet rising demand
Madurai: The state government has approved the construction of an additional building at the Aruldaspuram Urban Primary Health Centre (UPHC) in Madurai at a cost of ₹1.47 crore, aiming to ease congestion and meet growing demand from residents in the city's central and west zones. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now A senior health official from the Madurai Corporation said the project was part of the civic body's 2024–25 proposal. "The new infrastructure will help decongest the existing facility and support our efforts to obtain National Quality Assurance Standards (NQAS) certification. Tenders have been issued, and work will begin soon," the official said. The Corporation is targeting NQAS certification for ten more primary health centres (PHCs) in the coming years. Six PHCs—Masthanpatti, Munichalai, Annathoppu, Annaiyur, Thirunagar, and Sellur—have already received the certification. A similar proposal has been submitted to build an additional block at the Pykara UPHC, which has seen a surge in footfall. "We are hopeful of approval this financial year. A proposal for Thiruppalai UPHC is also in the pipeline," the official added. Healthcare infrastructure remains a key focus in the city's development strategy. The 2025 civic budget has earmarked ₹5 crore for medical equipment across all UPHCs, including ₹50 lakh for urban wellness centres offering preventive and curative services. Currently, 45 urban wellness centres are operational in Madurai. Construction of 16 more is underway, expected to raise the total to 61 by year-end. "These centres aim to provide comprehensive primary care at the community level and reduce pressure on tertiary hospitals," the official said.
Time of India
15-05-2025
- Health
- Time of India
Lives of 8K more moms saved during childbirth in UP in 10yrs
Lucknow: More expectant mothers are being saved from dying during childbirth in UP now compared to a decade ago, suggests a comparison of the sample registration system (SRS) bulletin on maternal mortality. The bulletin for the reference year 2021 was released last week. It showed that compared to a maternal mortality ratio (MMR) of 285 in 2011, UP's MMR was reported to be 151 in 2021. Maternal deaths are measured in terms of lives lost per one lakh live births. This means that in 2011-13, for every one lakh live births, 285 mothers were dying. This number declined to 151 in 2019-2021. UP's birth rate stands at 24.8 per 1000 population as of now. This translates into some 62 lakh live births in a year, keeping the state's population of 25 crore in mind. So, an estimated 8,308 expectant mothers were saved from dying during childbirth in the SRS year. The decline is a multi-factorial outcome, said mission director of National Health Mission, UP, Pinky Jowel. "Our entire team worked tirelessly to ensure access, quality and timeliness of healthcare services. ASHA workers, ANMs and medical officers improved service delivery at the grassroots level, which paid dividends," she said. She added that the strategy of caring for mothers and children for 1,000 days has proven effective in reducing MMR. "This included registering pregnant women immediately upon conception, ensuring at least four antenatal check-ups (ANC), and identifying and managing high-risk pregnancies under the Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan (PMSMA)," she said. She said that the state worked hard to strengthen First Referral Units (FRUs) to save more lives. "While on one hand, the state rolled out a massive programme to train doctors in emergency obstetric care to manage complications during pregnancy, childbirth and the postpartum period to prevent any untoward incidents, it invested in ensuring the availability of 24x7 delivery services at the FRUs by deploying specialist doctors, trained staff, providing blood storage units and operation theatres," she said. The multi-pronged strategy also included promoting institutional deliveries, maintaining the quality of healthcare services under the National Quality Assurance Standards (NQAS), strengthening emergency medical transport service (102-108 ambulance) and reducing its response time to promote institutional deliveries. It also involved monitoring the health of mothers even when they reach home through MANTRA and e-KAVACH apps, among others. Despite this reason to smile, UP needs to continue to work on the count for several reasons. First, the state's burden of MMR is the third highest in the country. Second, it is way behind the national figure of 93. Finally, it is far from the sustainable development goal target of 70. Asked what the state govt would do to improve its performance on the count, Jowel said: "Our future goal is to achieve NQAS certification for more FRUs and to strengthen data-driven decision-making systems to continuously improve the reach and quality of maternal and newborn care services, bringing UP's standards on par with national standards."
