New Delhi: In a bid to safeguard patient safety and elevate the standard of care delivery, healthcare industry lobby NATHEALTH has pitched for introducing mandatory baseline standards for all healthcare facilities in the country.
Speaking to reporters at the sidelines of the body 12th annual summit, Ameera Shah, President, NATHEALTH said, “Tthe initiative aims to take a holistic approach, assessing workforce requirements, infrastructure, and all other factors that influence clinical excellence—aligning with practices adopted in other countries.”
The existing Clinical Establishments Act, which presently deals with the minimum quality standards of facilities is voluntary in nature and applies to a specific segment of healthcare providers. The new proposal, by contrast, seeks mandatory adoption, extending to all healthcare facilities, she added.
NATHEALTH officials maintain that the proposal is aimed at ensuring a consistent level of care across the sector, and a large number of stakeholders particularly in the hospitals and diagnostic domain have shown a strong appetite for adoption.
However, some argue implementing a blanket standard could lead to higher compliance and operational costs for smaller players operating on with limited capital reserves and tight cash flows.
Responding to an ETHealthworld query regarding the impact of the ongoing war in the Middle East on the healthcare sector, Shah said,”Given the current situation in the region, there is no significant impact. In preparation for potential risks, in collaboration with the government, facilities are strategically stocking critical materials such as essential drugs, diagnostic kits, and reagents to handle urgent medical needs.”
Himanshu Baid, Vice President of NATHEALTH, flagged that medical device manufacturers in India are facing significant incremental costs burden due to rising freight charges, and the cost of raw materials such as PVC has risen by “50 to 60 per cent”. Secondly, the contraction in the supply of commercial gas has also disrupted production.
“While there is no immediate impact moving forward we may see shortage of some devices in hospitals and in April the inflationary impact may intensify, potentially forcing companies to pass the increased costs onto customers,” he added.
For hospitals, Varun Khanna, Secretary, NATHEALTH, said patient traffic from the Middle East, which accounts for a chunk of India’s medical value tourism has undergone a slight dip so far.
