NEW DELHI: Over 50,000 public health facilities across India have been certified under the National Quality Assurance Standards (NQAS), officials said Wednesday.
The aim is to achieve NQAS certification for at least 50% of public healthcare facilities by March 2026. NQAS is aimed at ensuring and enhancing the quality of healthcare services provided at public health facilities in the country.
Officials said a total of 50,373 public health facilities across all states and Union Territories have been certified under the NQAS - a comprehensive quality framework established by the Union Health and Family Welfare Ministry.
“This achievement marks a proud moment for India’s public health system as the nation crosses the 50,000 mark for NQAS certifications, reinforcing the government’s unwavering commitment to quality, safety, and patient-centred care,” according to the ministry.
“It represents a significant step forward in ensuring equitable access to high-quality healthcare for all citizens, particularly the poor, vulnerable, and marginalised populations,” a ministry statement said.
The NQAS began its journey in 2015 with just 10 certified healthcare facilities, initially focusing on district hospitals to ensure safe, patient-centric, and quality-assured services.
Over time, the framework was systematically expanded to sub-district hospitals, community health centres, Ayushman Arogya Mandir- Primary health centres (PHCs), Ayushman Arogya Mandir-Urban Primary Health Centre (AAM–UPHCs), and Ayushman Arogya Mandir-Sub Health Centres (AAM-SHC), enabling quality assurance across all levels of public healthcare.
The introduction of virtual assessments for NQAS certification has rapidly expanded quality coverage across India’s public health system.
Certified facilities increased from 6,506 in December 2023 to 22,786 in December 2024, and further to 50,373 by December 2025 - reflecting an exponential scale-up within one year, the ministry said.
This includes 48,663 Ayushman Arogya Mandirs (SHC, PHC, UPHC) and 1,710 secondary care facilities (CHC, SDH, DH), underscoring the institutionalisation of quality across all levels of public healthcare.
India’s pursuit of Universal Health Coverage (UHC), guided by the National Health Policy 2017, emphasises the provision of quality, affordable healthcare without financial hardship.
The rapid scale-up of NQAS reflects the adoption of multi-pronged acceleration strategies, including continuous capacity building, digital innovations, substantial increase in the pool of assessors, and continuous quality improvement mechanisms.
“Crossing 50,000 NQAS certification is a testament to India’s collective resolve to build a resilient, self-reliant, and high-quality public health system. This achievement embodies the spirit of Aatmanirbhar Bharat and the guiding principles of “SabkaSaath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas, Sabka Prayaas,” reaffirming that quality healthcare is central to India’s development,” the statement added.
“The government of India remains committed to sustaining and further expanding NQAS certification, ensuring that quality becomes an intrinsic and enduring attribute of public healthcare delivery across the country. In this direction, the nation has set an interim goal of achieving NQAS certification for at least 50% of public healthcare facilities by March 2026, further reinforcing its resolve to institutionalise quality, safety, and patient-centred care at scale,” it added.