Vijayawada: A total of
1,454 public healthcare facilities across Andhra Pradesh have achieved
accreditation under the National Quality Assurance Standards, Health Minister
Satya Kumar Yadav informed on Wednesday.
The institutions include 1,236 Ayushman Arogya Mandirs, along with Primary Health Centres (PHCs), 139 urban primary facilities, and seven community-level hospitals.Also Read:Punjab and Haryana HC notice to Centre, States over Ayushman Bharat payment delaysAfter a NQAS
certification is granted to a facility, it becomes eligible to secure central
financial incentives: Ayushman Arogya Mandirs can receive Rs. 1.26 lakh per
year for three years. In case of Primary Health Centres (PHC), they can avail Rs
3 lakh each, and Urban Primary Health Centre (UPHCs) can get Rs. 2 lakh each;
and secondary-level hospitals will be eligible for Rs. 10,000 per bed per year
for three years, as reported by the Times of India.
The Minister noted that
the recognition is granted after an extensive evaluation covering multiple
benchmarks, including outpatient and inpatient care, physical facilities, the continuous availability of drugs, cleanliness, record maintenance, laboratory services, infection prevention practices, and patient feedback, reflecting
sustained improvements in service delivery across the state-run health system.
According to the
available district-wise data, East Godavari district has the highest number of NQAS
certified hospitals with 138 hospitals, followed by YSR Kadapa with 122
hospitals and Eluru with 118 hospitals, reports The Daily. In contrast, during
the previous govt’s five-year tenure, only 665 hospitals received NQAS
recognition, the minister noted.Also Read:AIIMS coming to Kerala, says Union Minister Suresh GopiThe minister added that such a large
number of government hospitals securing this recognition, which is usually secured
by corporate institutions, brought pride to Andhra Pradesh. There is a
systematic process of granting the certificate to the hospital. A team
comprising experts from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare conducts
inspections before the certificates are issued. Plans for 272 more hospitals
have been submitted this year, and inspections are anticipated to take place
later this month.