Srinagar, March 03: For the first time, the Jammu and Kashmir Health Department is planning to train healthcare workers for patient safety and quality care across hospitals officials said on Friday.
Officials said the Health Department has sent a team of senior health officers to the Government of India to discuss the measures in order to improve patient safety and quality care.
Dr Jitender Mehta, State Nodal Officer, Patient Safety J&K said state-level and district-level committees have been formed in this regard and concerned officers have been given tasks.
“Now, we are waiting for its implementation plan and funding from the Union Health Ministry. A discussion has also been held in this regard with the health ministry,” he said.
Mehta said in the first phase 550 employees at UT, district and block level will be trained in the next two months in patient safety and quality care. The trained staff will further impart it in healthcare institutions.
“There will be a large-scale assessment of hospitals to find out the loopholes in healthcare system and budgetary provisions will be also planned accordingly,” he said.
The Nodal Officer said this is the first time that such a move has been taken, which will improve patient care services in hospitals and would be an example for the private sector.
“This is a major plan for quality assurance and patient safety. There are checklists and indicators of the Government of India for the different health facilities and the hospitals are improved as per the checklist. Later, district, state and national level inspections will be held and then only facilities are certified. As of now, there are very few healthcare facilities in J&K having certified quality assurance and patient safety,” Mehta said.
“Patients need safety and the health system needs quality. There are different indicators in different healthcare facilities like PHCs, CHCs and District Hospitals,” he said.
In this regard, the Jammu and Kashmir Health Department has also constituted State Quality Assurance Committee (SQAC) and District Quality Assurance Committee (DQAC).
The SQAC will be involved in developing the quality assurance policy and guidelines for the entire UT J&K and ensure attainment of standards for the quality of care by public health facilities.
As an official document of the health department, the SQAC will be mentor UT/District level units and take periodic review of the progress quality assurance activities.
It will also review and adjudicate compensation claims under the national ‘Family Planning Indemnity Scheme’ for case of deaths, complications and failures following male and female sterilization procedures.
The SQAC will also review key performance indicators of quality and share the reports of the committee on website and with all the stakeholders.
Similarly, as per the document, the DQAC has been tasked to disseminate quality assurance policy and guidelines and ensure the standard of quality care.
In case any facility reports sterilization-related death, the convener of the DQAC should inform the within 24 hours. “Death audit needs to be conducted by the DQAC and the report should be sent to SQAC with a copy to the Union Ministry of Health within one month of the death being reported.
