The Srirangam Government Hospital here has joined the list of 12 government hospitals in the State recommended for accreditation by National Accreditation Board for Hospitals and Healthcare providers (NABH). As a preparatory initiative, an eight member medical team visited the hospital to identify and suggest necessary improvements to meet standards prescribed by NABH, a constituent body of Quality Council of India.
The team headed by Dr. P. Ilango, expert advisor, accreditation, Tamil Nadu Health Systems Project (TNHSP), visited the Srirangam Hospital and later the District Headquarters Hospital at Manapparai, one of the hospitals already identified by the TNHSP. The team that assessed the present healthcare scenario at both hospitals identified existing defects and put forth recommendations.
Ten teams comprising hospital staff have been constituted in each of the hospitals to execute recommendations and upgrade quality of patient care, T.Mohanasundaram, joint director, Public Health, told The Hindu . Recommendations for the Srirangam Hospital included improving biomedical waste disposal, posting signboards and stepping up quality of equipment. The improvements would be carried out within six months, Dr.Mohanasundaram said. The medical team constituted members from the Namakkal District Headquarters hospital, the first government hospital in the state to be accredited by NABH. Other members in the team included Selvakumar, district co-ordinator, Namakkal, a nursing superintendent, lab technician, radiographer and medical records chief. The Sholingur taluk hospital is the only other government hospital in Tamil Nadu to obtain the accreditation. The accreditation process would include self-assessment and preliminary inspection exercises before assessment by the NABH team. On fulfilling 100 stringent clinical and governance parameters set by the NABH, a quality care certificate with 3 year validity period would be issued.
