In a first for central govt hospitals, RML gets full NABH accreditation

Dr Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital and Atal Bihari Vajpayee Institute of Medical Sciences has become the first central government hospital in India to receive full accreditation from the National Accreditation Board for Hospitals and Healthcare Providers (NABH), a quality benchmark for hospitals in the country.

The accreditation marks a significant step in aligning the hospital with nationally defined standards for patient safety, infrastructure, clinical protocols and administrative systems, RML director Dr Ashok Kumar said on Tuesday.

NABH, part of the Quality Council of India, sets over 500 measurable standards that hospitals must meet, including protocols for infection control, emergency care, documentation, patient rights and staff training. Few government hospitals in Delhi have full NABH accreditation and until now none under the central government had achieved it.

“This is a milestone for our institute. It reflects our commitment to a patient-centric and safe healthcare delivery system,” said Dr Kumar.

“All processes were maintained and monitored for two years. Then we applied for and received this certification. It’s a major achievement for the institute,” said medical superintendent Dr Vivek Diwan.

“It’s a promise to ourselves—we have set our standards high. The credit goes to those who envisioned it, and to the team of nurses, attendants and even the guards who worked together with us,” said dean Prof Arti Maria.

Prof Sameek Bhattacharya, chairperson of the NABH committee, explained the process: “NABH gives recognition in healthcare. We had to meet three main standards — policy, documentation and implementation. Thirty-one departments prepared SOPs. Around 150 forms and formats were created. Fire safety and emergency code trainings were conducted. NABH officials verified documentation, interviewed staff and observed drills.

“This is a 1,500-bed hospital with 8,000 OPD patients and 100–150 emergency cases daily. Meeting 561 standards at this scale is a mission in itself,” he added.