Dr. Arun Sethi
Director, Arunodaya Deseret Eye
Hospital, New Delhi
Dr Arun Sethi, founder Arunodhaya Charitable Trust and ophthalmic director of Arunodaya Deseret Eye Hospital expresses his views about NABH accreditation of smaller hospitals. Arunodaya Deseret Eye Hospital was founded in 2006 and is one of the recent hospitals to acquire NABH accreditation. AIOS Times speaks to him about his thoughts on why NABH needs to change keeping in view the smaller setups.
Do you think healthcare accreditation should be mandated?
I personally feel that in today’s circumstances of healthcare (read: eye care) practise in India, healthcare accreditation will play a pivotal role in branding eye care practice and reassuring the patients, of good quality healthcare delivery, observing all the norms.
If healthcare accreditation is to be made mandatory, it should be so designed that it adds value and upgrades the practices, at various level(s).
This means that they should have specific classifications/grading for:
a. Out patient services, like solo eye practitioners
b. In patient/surgical services, for small practices
c. Norms for ambulatory surgical centres (ASC)
d. Norms for hospitals
What is the basis of the say no to NABH campaign?
At present, the norms for Ophthalmology practice are divided into just two levels:
1. Entry level
2. Full accreditation
This has created a fear psychosis amongst our colleagues, that accreditation is a ploy to create hurdles in their practice, as many of the requirements are difficult to meet. NABH should be practical and should evaluate each Ophthalmic practice, and grade it appropriately.
The current methodology of meeting the standards, set by NABH, eliminates most of the small practice, as they may be in rented accommodation, have very limited funds, and may not be in a position to undertake major renovations/up gradations, to meet the stiff NABH norms, especially in small towns and in metros.
Hence, the Ophthalmic societies should lobby with the NABH, to consider the reality on the ground, and keeping patients safety & the current needs in mind, should alter the criteria, suitably