THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Despite the pandemic and associated case load, six more healthcare institutions in the state have secured the much sought-after National Quality Assurance Standards (NQAS) certification. The family health centres in Chathannoor (Kollam), Panangad (Kozhikode), Munderi (Kannur), Vazhoor (Kottayam), Vazhikadavu (Malappuram) and primary health centre in Mattool (Kannur) are the newly certified institutions.
Health Minister K K Shailaja said in a statement that the credit for securing the certification even during the trying times of pandemic is solely on the health workers. The state also retains the top 12 rankings for the best health care centres in the country. Poozhanad family health centre at Ottasekharamangalam in Thiruvananthapuram and the Kayyoor Memorial FHC in Kasaragod maintain a score of over 99% in the evaluation and are in top spots in the list. The certification is valid for three years and the hospitals receive monetary aid during the period for infrastructure development.
With this, a total of 80 public sector healthcare institutions in the state, including 62 family health centres (FHC)s, six urban PHCs, five Community Health Centres (CHCs), four taluk hospitals and three district hospitals, have secured the certification. The National Quality Assurance Standards were developed by the National Health Systems Resource Centre, the technical support institution of the National Health Mission.