Article by Dr Rajendra S Khambete
NABH Accreditation: Worth the Paper or a Real Transformation Tool?
The Indian Healthcare system is probably one of the best. With the advent of the National Accreditation Board for Hospitals & Healthcare Providers [NABH] accreditations, there is much standardization across the medical service industry. Indian Medical Value Travel has gone up by leaps and bounds. Yet, I came across many incidents where I began to have second thoughts about NABH accreditation in India.
I have the fullest respect for NABH accreditation.
I have worked in many hospitals in leadership positions. Currently, I work as a hospital management consultant. I have interacted with many, many NABH assessors and NABH administrative staff during the hospital accreditation work of many hospitals. So I have some experience with NABH. I will share some things I observed during my work.
As a hospital management consultant, I’m privileged to witness the inner workings of numerous healthcare institutions across India. A common feature in most city-based hospitals today is the golden badge of NABH accreditation. But behind the uniform logo on the reception wall, the realities diverge dramatically.
The Good
Some hospitals embrace NABH in its true spirit. They offer standardized care, follow safety protocols, conduct real audits, hold concerned people accountable, and so on. For them, the NABH framework is a foundation upon which their clinical and administrative excellence is built. These institutions often go beyond the minimum standards, innovating upon each objective element.
They truly make quality a habit.
But there’s another group.
The Bad
In these hospitals, NABH is reduced to a project. A means to an end. Consultants (like me) are brought in, not for transformation, but only for compliance. They have large files of policies copied verbatim from unrelated setups, fake incident reports, fabricated charts, dummy committee meeting minutes, and PowerPoints of imaginary KPIs. And once the accreditation certificate or the renewal certificate is in hand, the “NABH work” ends. Literally.
The Ugly
Why? Because for them, the Ugly Truth is that NABH is not about the quality of care or patient safety. It’s about impressing doctors, staff, patients… and more importantly, to get more payment. NABH-accredited hospitals often receive 10% higher payouts from ABPMJAY, insurance firms, and corporate tie-ups.
So many questions arise
- Will good hospitals always outperform NABH standards, no matter what? YES.
- Will bad hospitals remain stagnant despite the logo? Probably YES.
- And most importantly: Who decides whether a hospital is good or not? The hospital’s Leadership.
Good Leadership is the Key
- Maintaining Quality must be in the mindset in the boardroom, the senior management, or the top management.
- That determines whether NABH is a transformation tool or just a framed certificate.
- It’s time Indian Hospitals stopped chasing just the paper certificate and began embracing the Purpose and the Intent of NABH accreditation.
My Conclusions
After seven months as a self-employed independent hospital management consultant, and after 25 years in Hospital Management Work, I believe:
- If you take quality to heart, you don’t need consultants like me.
- If NABH for you is only to get 10% more, I don’t wish to work for you!
- [If I take such a stance, I am afraid I will lose 70% of my work😇]
If you run a hospital, do share your thoughts on my email:
