Over 50,000 public health facilities certified under NQAS: Centre

New Delhi, Jan 7 (PTI) More than 50,000 public health facilities across the country have been certified under the National Quality Assurance Standards (NQAS), a comprehensive quality framework established by the Union Health Ministry.

The achievement 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.

"As of December 31, 2025, a total of 50,373 public health facilities across all states and Union Territories have been certified under the National Quality Assurance Standards (NQAS)," it said.

"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," the statement added.

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, it said.

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 statement said.

This includes 48,663 Ayushman Arogya Mandirs (SHCs, PHCs and UPHCs) and 1,710 secondary care facilities (CHCs, SDHs and DHs), 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 and affordable healthcare without financial hardship, the statement said.

The government 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, it underlined.

"In this direction, the nation has set an interim goal of achieving NQAS certification for at least 50 per cent of public healthcare facilities by March 2026, further reinforcing its resolve to institutionalise quality, safety and patient-centred care at scale," the statement said. PTI PLB HIG HIG