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India Hits 50,000+ Quality-Certified Public Health Facilities Milestone

India has achieved a historic milestone with over 50,000 public health facilities now certified under the National Quality Assurance Standards. The initiative, which began in 2015 with just 10 facilities, has seen exponential growth, particularly after the introduction of Virtual Assessments. This scale-up institutionalizes quality assurance across all levels of care, from primary health centers to district hospitals. The effort reinforces the government's commitment to equitable, patient-centered healthcare as part of the Universal Health Coverage goal.

Key Points: India Surpasses 50,000 NQAS Certifications for Public Healthcare

  • Over 50,000 public health facilities now NQAS certified
  • Growth from just 10 certifications in 2015
  • Includes 48,663 primary care Ayushman Arogya Mandirs
  • Virtual Assessments enabled rapid nationwide scale-up
2 min read

India crosses historic 50,000 NQAS certifications to boost public healthcare

India achieves over 50,000 NQAS certifications for public health facilities, marking a historic leap in quality healthcare access and safety standards nationwide.

"a landmark milestone in the journey to strengthen the quality of public healthcare services - Health Ministry"

New Delhi, Jan 7

The government on Wednesday said that a total of 50,373 public health facilities across all states and union territories have been certified under the National Quality Assurance Standards till December 31 - a comprehensive quality framework established by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

This is a landmark milestone in the journey to strengthen the quality of public healthcare services, said Health Ministry.

"The 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. It represents a significant step forward in ensuring equitable access to high-quality healthcare for all citizens, particularly the poor, vulnerable, and marginalised populations," the ministry said in a statement.

The NQAS journey began 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-PHCs, AAM-UPHCs, and AAM-Sub Health Centres, 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.

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 pool of assessors, and continuous quality improvement mechanisms.

- IANS

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Reader Comments

P
Priya S
A proud moment for our public health system. The focus on Ayushman Arogya Mandirs is crucial for primary care. My mother's local PHC got certified last year and we've noticed a definite improvement in cleanliness and staff attitude. Good work!
R
Rohit P
The numbers are impressive, no doubt. But certification is one thing, sustained quality on the ground is another. I hope there is a robust mechanism to ensure these standards are maintained daily and not just for the audit. Let's not celebrate too soon.
S
Sarah B
Working in public health, I can appreciate the scale of this logistical achievement. Training assessors and implementing virtual assessments across such a diverse country is a huge task. This framework could be a model for other developing nations.
V
Vikram M
Heartening to see the focus on equitable access for the poor and vulnerable. Quality healthcare shouldn't be a luxury. If the CHC in my district town maintains these standards, it saves people like us a costly trip to the city. Jai Hind!
K
Kavya N
The jump from 22,786 to 50,373 in just one year is mind-blowing! Virtual assessments must have played a big role. Hope this momentum continues and reaches every single health centre in the country. More power to our healthcare workers! 🙏

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