The Women and Children Hospital at Thycaud, the Grandma among the government hospitals in Thiruvananthapuram, has received the accreditation from the National Accreditation Board for Hospitals (NABH). This is the first women and children hospital in India to get the accreditation.
During Travancore monarchy, the hospital had started as a dispensary. In 1914, it was transformed into a fully-equipped hospital, which also was the venue for the first caesarean section in Kerala.
As of now, there are 138 hospitals that have got the NABH accreditation in the country, a majority of which are in the private sector. Of the eight accredited hospitals in the state, this is the second hospital in the public sector to get accreditation.
The general hospital at Kochi had received the accreditation last year.
Health Minister V S Sivakumar said that the accreditation of the Thycaud hospital is expected to catalyse the quality improvement in many other hospitals in the government sector.
The Minister said that the accreditation was made possible by the joint efforts of the State Health Department and the National Rural Health Mission and he congratulated every officer, hospital staff and the hospital development committee member.
Sivakumar said that the State Government is making all efforts to improve the quality of health centres in the government sector by implementing treatment facilities of national standards. As part of this, efforts are also on to get NABH accreditation to 14 other hospitals in the state.
It now has a centralised sterile supply section, totally sterile operation theatres, X-ray facility recognised by the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board, modern laboratory, calibrated medical devices, infection-control, power laundry, fire safety measures, disaster mitigation programmes, various training programmes, clear and complete medical record system and quality control index.