Mumbai: The Maharashtra government has decided to introduce a five-star rating system for 623 hospitals under the state public health department to assess and publicly display the quality of healthcare services.
The initiative is aimed at improving standards, enhancing transparency and strengthening public confidence in government-run medical facilities, said a Government Resolution (GR) issued on Friday by the state public health department.
The rating system will cover 623 hospitals, including district hospitals, sub-district hospitals, rural hospitals, women’s hospitals, general hospitals, referral service hospitals, trauma care centres and Employees’ State Insurance hospitals.
The government said the initiative seeks to provide citizens with clear and easily understandable information about the quality of services available at each hospital while encouraging institutions to continuously improve their performance.
The decision forms part of a GR issued by the public health department on Friday.
Under the system, hospitals will be evaluated on five broad parameters comprising 10 measurable criteria, including availability of specialist services and staff, availability of essential medicines and diagnostic facilities, hospital performance based on outpatient attendance and bed occupancy, medical services, such as deliveries and major surgeries, and patient amenities and feedback.
Each of the 10 criteria will be assessed as either “complete” or “incomplete”. Every fulfilled criterion will earn half a star, while an unfulfilled one will receive zero, with the total score determining a hospital’s rating from zero to five stars.
The assessment will be based on physical inspections and database verification, while hospitals belonging to different categories will be evaluated against category-specific benchmarks.
The ratings will be announced twice every year, in January and August, based on the hospital’s performance since the previous assessment. Hospitals securing four stars or more will receive a special certificate of recognition from the government.
The GR said the initiative has been introduced to create a transparent and publicly visible quality benchmark for government hospitals, motivate them to maintain and improve standards, enable citizens to compare services, and ultimately improve patient care while reinforcing public trust in the state’s healthcare system.
