Shillong, Jul 27: Babadam Primary Health Centre (PHC) in West Garo Hills has been awarded the prestigious National Quality Assurance Standards (NQAS) certification by the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, marking a significant milestone in Meghalaya’s journey towards quality public healthcare services.
Developed by the National Health Systems Resource Centre (NHSRC) under the Quality Council of India (QCI), the NQAS framework assesses public health facilities across the country on key parameters such as patient care, infection control, cleanliness, and service delivery. Babadam PHC is now the first Primary Health Centre in the entire Garo Hills region, to receive this certification.
Reflecting on the achievement, Sr Riya, Health Programme Manager at Babadam PHC, said, “This recognition is the result of God’s blessing, hard work, and the unwavering dedication of our entire team. We’ve worked together to create a clean, patient-friendly, and efficient healthcare environment. Receiving the NQAS certification has motivated us to continue raising the standards of care for our community.”
She further added, “As an IPA facility, we’ve had the flexibility to plan based on local needs, engage more closely with the community, and strengthen staff accountability. That has made a real difference in how we deliver healthcare every day.”
Babadam PHC is one of 122 facilities selected under the Internal Performance Agreement (IPA) model, an initiative under the Meghalaya Health Systems Strengthening Project (MHSSP) and funded by the World Bank. The IPA is a results-based financing approach designed to strengthen health facilities by linking performance with funding. Facilities are assessed on predefined indicators, and those achieving higher scores are eligible for additional resources and support. Through this model, the state aims to support these facilities in achieving NQAS certification, thus, strengthening systems, improving outcomes, and incentivising continuous quality improvement.
The success of Babadam PHC reflects months of preparation, capacity building and quality improvement efforts undertaken by the PHC team with support from the Joint Directorate Quality Committee (JDQC), the office of the District Medical and Health Officer (DM&HO), WGH, the MHSSP and the National Health Mission (NHM), an official press release stated. They have provided crucial mentorship and technical support throughout the certification journey.
This achievement is a testament to the dedication of frontline health workers in delivering patient-centric care, even in the most remote and underserved areas. It also serves as an inspiration for other PHCs and health facilities across Meghalaya to pursue similar quality benchmarks, contributing to a stronger and more resilient public health system for the state.
