Three J&K hospitals awarded NQAS certification for excellence in healthcare

Srinagar, Aug 14: The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India, has awarded National Quality Assurance Standard (NQAS) certification to three public health facilities in Jammu & Kashmir, health officials said.The NQAS certificate is awarded after evaluating the quality of services provided to patients. Health officials said that AAM UPHC Lasjan, AAM UPHC Tailbal, both in Srinagar, and AAM PHC Chandak in Poonch, assessed between July 4 and 5, 2025, have been granted certification for maintaining excellence in service delivery at their institutions.The Lasjan facility was assessed across 12 thematic areas covering various aspects of healthcare delivery. The facility met all the established certification criteria, achieving a remarkable overall score of 94 per cent.Its “Quality Certified” status reflects a strong commitment to excellence, patient safety, and efficient service delivery, setting a benchmark for other healthcare units in the region.UPHC Tailbal underwent an evaluation examining performance across 12 thematic areas. Meeting all the certification criteria, the centre secured an overall score of 90 per cent.The “Quality Certified” recognition demonstrates its dedication to maintaining robust healthcare systems, skilled workforce efficiency, and patient-centred service delivery.PHC Chandak was assessed in six key departmental areas. The facility successfully met all the certification requirements, achieving an overall score of 80 per cent.With the “Quality Certified” status, it has proven its ability to provide reliable and effective primary health services, contributing to improved community health outcomes.“At the outset, I congratulate you and your state team for taking up three (03) public health facilities in Jammu & Kashmir, for the National level external assessment under NQAS Certification. The facility underwent External Assessment by the empanelled external assessors,” read the certification.It said the certified health facilities should strive to work on the recommended areas of improvement and submit an action plan to the State Quality Assurance Unit, which is expected to verify the improvement during the surveillance audits and submit the status to Certification Unit, NHSRC, along with the surveillance reports.NQAS is a set of standards developed by the Health Ministry to assess and improve the quality of healthcare services provided in public health facilities. These standards are based on global best practices and are used to evaluate facilities across various areas.The J&K health department has set a target of getting all health units NQAS certified by 2026, for which efforts are being made to make the health facilities certified.Officials said NQAS certification aims to recognise and incentivise good-performing public health facilities, improve the credibility of these facilities, and ultimately enhance the quality of healthcare services offered to the public.NQAS certification can lead to better patient outcomes, increased public trust in healthcare services, and may also be linked to financial incentives for certified facilities.