IPHLs at two Chhattisgarh hospitals get national quality certification

Raipur, Nov 20 (PTI) Integrated public health labs (IPHLs) of two district hospitals in Chhattisgarh have been awarded quality certification under the Union government's National Quality Assurance Standards (NQAS), an official here said on Thursday.

The IPHL at Pandri district hospital in Raipur has been recognised as the first quality-certified IPHL in the country, while the one in Balodabazar district hospital has also received certification, said Dr Priyanka Shukla, commissioner-cum-director of the state's Health Services.

This milestone underlines Chhattisgarh's rapid progress in expanding scientific, reliable, and high-quality diagnostic services across its public health network, she said.

Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai and Health Minister Shyam Bihari Jaiswal have congratulated doctors, technicians, and staff of the IPHLs for the achievement.

Sai, in a statement, said that the achievement reflects the broad, scientific, and structural reforms underway in Chhattisgarh's health system.

"Quality healthcare is our government's highest priority, and this national certification has strengthened the credibility and resilience of our public health services," he said.

According to a release, between January 2024 and November 2025, 832 health institutions across Chhattisgarh have undergone rigorous assessment and certification on national parameters, covering even the most remote regions, such as Chintagufa in Sukma.

The certification followed detailed evaluations carried out by expert assessors nominated by the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

The Pandri and Balodabazar IPHLs were evaluated in September, during which teams conducted comprehensive reviews covering patient-centric services, quality control measures, workflow efficiency, safety protocols, documentation, and timely reporting, it said.

The Pandri IPHL received an impressive 90 per cent score, while Balodabazar IPHL secured 88 per cent, both of which fall under the "excellent" category of national health quality standards, it added.

The Pandri IPHL has emerged as the state's model lab, conducting over 3,000 tests daily and offering more than 120 types of diagnostic services.

Teams from more than 13 states have visited the lab to study its functioning.

Moreover, the Centre has featured the image of the Raipur IPHL on the cover page of its comprehensive guidelines for establishing IPHLs nationwide under PM ABHIM, adopting this model as a benchmark for the national IPHL network.

Similarly, the Balodabazar IPHL is rapidly establishing itself as a key diagnostic hub, performing 1,000 to 1,200 tests per day and offering over 100 types of diagnostic services, it added.

The NQAS framework mandates strict adherence to parameters such as cleanliness, safety, patient satisfaction, equipment calibration, biomedical waste management, record-keeping, technical quality, and staff capacity building. Both labs have excelled on every count, the release stated. PTI TKP ARU