A Focus on Quality and Efficiency
The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has partnered with the Quality Council of India (QCI) to revamp the Central Government Health Services (CGHS) ecosystem. This five-year collaboration aims to address various issues, including the lack of standardized quality and efficiency in CGHS facilities.
Accreditation: The collaboration will support CGHS facilities in achieving accreditation by National Accreditation Board for Hospitals and Healthcare Providers (NABH) and National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL). This will ensure that these facilities meet high quality standards.
QCI will work on building the capacity of healthcare providers within the CGHS network, enabling them to deliver high-quality services.
The partnership will explore ways to integrate technology into the CGHS system, improving efficiency and streamlining processes.
The collaboration will focus on expanding the network of qualified healthcare providers and laboratories empanelled under CGHS, ensuring wider access to quality healthcare services.
The move comes amidst discussions on standardizing hospital charges across the country. While private hospitals have expressed concerns about this potentially compromising quality, the government aims to ensure that CGHS rates are implemented in all private hospitals if necessary.
Experts believe that the collaboration is crucial for rejuvenating the CGHS system and improving the quality of healthcare services provided. They also highlight the importance of integrating CGHS beneficiary IDs with Ayushman Bharat Health Account (ABHA) IDs to streamline healthcare services and enhance patient identification.
The collaboration between the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and QCI is expected to significantly improve the CGHS system, leading to better quality healthcare services, increased efficiency, and a more transparent and centralized health database system. This will ultimately benefit both CGHS facilities and beneficiaries.