Patna: Health minister Mangal Pandey on Wednesday said the Bihar govt has made quality improvement in govt hospitals a top priority, with large-scale corrective measures underway to strengthen infrastructure, standard-based service delivery and patient safety.Moving in this direction, Pandey said that 91 health centres in the state have been certified at the state level under National Quality Assurance Standards (NQAS) and Labour Room Quality Improvement Initiative (LaQshya).He said the objective of the govt is to ensure that citizens receive reliable, safe and quality medical services within govt health institutions.Providing details, Pandey said Madhubani and Arwal district hospitals, along with Dalsinghsaray sub-divisional hospital in Samastipur, have received certification under both NQAS and LaQshya, while the remaining institutions have been certified under NQAS.Pandey said certification under NQAS and LaQshya strengthens infection control, maternity service quality, patient safety, cleanliness, availability of medicines and routine assessment of service standards. He added that this helps reduce maternal and infant mortality, increase patient confidence and improve transparency in service delivery.Of the 91 certified centres, 84 are Ayushman Arogya Mandir-health sub-centres operating at the community level. Pandey said the focus is to ensure that rural residents can access quality healthcare closer to their homes, enabling early identification and treatment of diseases at the primary level.He said timely care is being provided to pregnant women, newborns and the elderly, referrals have reduced and pressure on district hospitals has eased.Pandey said the state govt will develop health institutions in phases in accordance with quality standards, supported by strengthened training systems, improved resource availability, regular inspections and digital monitoring. He added that the state aims to bring more institutions under NQAS and LaQshya certification to position Bihar among leading states in quality health services.
