Prayagraj division tops U.P. in National Health Quality Certification
The Lucknow division, including districts such as Hardoi, Lakhimpur Kheri, Lucknow, Rae Bareli, Sitapur, and Unnao, secured the second position in the state with 30 certificates
The Prayagraj division, comprising the four districts of Prayagraj, Pratapgarh, Kaushambi, and Fatehpur, has secured the top position in Uttar Pradesh for the National Quality Assurance Standards (NQAS) certification. This certification is awarded after evaluating the service quality of government health units.
The Lucknow division, including districts such as Hardoi, Lakhimpur Kheri, Lucknow, Rae Bareli, Sitapur, and Unnao, secured the second position in the state with 30 certificates. Meanwhile, the Kanpur division, consisting of Auraiya, Etawah, Farrukhabad, Kannauj, Kanpur Dehat, and Kanpur Nagar, achieved the third spot with 24 certificates.
As of September 3, 2024, over 307 hospitals and health units across Uttar Pradesh have received NQAS certification.
Project Manager of the National Health Mission (NHM) in Prayagraj, Harit Saxena, said that the Prayagraj division has earned 42 certificates so far. These certificates were awarded to government health units in recognition of quality treatment and adherence to standard health parameters. Prayagraj district leads with 19 certificates, followed by Fatehpur with 12, Kaushambi with 6, and Pratapgarh with 5 certificates. Saxena explained that the NQAS certification is awarded after meeting 19 specific standards.
The NQAS programme is designed to ensure the quality of hospitals and health centers in India. Under this program, the NQAS team inspects district hospitals, community, primary, and urban primary health centers (CHCs, PHCs, and U-PHCs) annually and evaluates them. Based on these inspections, health units are awarded NQAS certification.
The primary goal of this programme is to enhance hospital health services and reduce maternal and infant mortality rates. The certificates, provided by the National Health Mission, reflect the quality of health services in government facilities.
According to the NHM project manager, health services are evaluated based on 19 standards, which include ICU, OPD, operation theater, blood bank, pharmacy, radiology, accident and emergency, labor room, maternity ward, pediatric ward, sick newborn unit, postmortem unit, care unit, nutritional rehabilitation center, general hospital management, and support services.