Tiruchi’s urban primary health centres eye NQAS certification

Tiruchi Corporation aims to secure NQAS certification for top UPHCs, enhancing public healthcare services in the city.

In a bid to elevate public healthcare services, Tiruchi Corporation has set its sights on securing the National Quality Assurance Standards (NQAS) certification for four of its top-performing urban primary health centres (UPHCs) in the city.

An NQAS certification is awarded by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW). The certification process includes testing the centre’s compliance with NQAS criteria, department-wise scoring, and assessing the quality of infrastructure, including services offered to expectant mothers, treatment for non-communicable diseases, and the cleanliness of the health centre facility that caters to the needs of the people residing in the locality.

The certification decides the status of a UPHC besides fetching more funds and facilities for it. The National-level inspection teams are to visit the UPHCs at Edamalaipattipudur and Periya Milaguparai next week and EB Road and Woraiyur UPHCs within this month to check the facilities available and the quality of treatment given to patients there.

The two-storeyed facilities have six beds and offer treatment in general medicine, maternity health, newborn and child health, immunisation, family planning, communicable disease, non-communicable disease, and accident and emergency. These facilities have a pharmacy and lab and are also involved in outreach activities. Polyclinics are available at these UPHCs except the one at Periya Milaguparai.

According to sources, the E Pudur centre, on average, handles around 310 patients per day and conducts 11 deliveries per month. It is equipped with a doctor, two staff nurses, five urban health nurses, a pharmacist, a lab technician and two multipurpose health workers.

Similarly, the health centre at Periya Milaguparai handles around 220 patients per day and conducts two deliveries per month on average. It has a doctor, three staff nurses, four urban health nurses, a sector health nurse, a pharmacist, a lab technician and two multipurpose health workers.

“Since these centres are equipped with modern facilities, quality medical care is provided to people, especially expectant mothers and children. A patient service tracking module is being employed for effective management, and efforts are on to set up operation theatres and wards at the centres,” M. Vijay Chandran, City Health Officer.