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National Workshop on Accreditation and
Standardization of Health Services
9 February 2005, New Delhi
Inaugural Address
Dr Salim
J. Habayeb, WHO Representative to India
I am very pleased to be in this workshop that will
review the current status of accreditation and standards and the
recommendations for the welfare work in India. Accreditation is not a novel
idea, hotels have it, financial institutions have it, and we should promote
it in the health sector.
The broad features of accreditation are that it is
voluntary and educational. The professionals in the health sector play a
pivotal role in its establishment, functioning and monitoring. And it is not
merely issuing compliance but rather promoting quality and best practices.
This should be done with a common consensus and mutually acceptable way of
monitoring it.
One of the key elements of accreditation is
developing standards. Standards serve as a basis for comparison and
standardization is only one step towards accreditation. We don’t need to
reinvent the wheel and we can tailor standards for our own settings.
Standards should not be only for any technical
aspect but for the organization as a whole, which the management as well as
the professionals should practice. The growing liberalization of the Indian
economy and the opening of the health insurance sector to private
participation contribute in making healthcare services competitive. This
facilitates the provision of quality care. With the governments’ commitment
to quality healthcare for all, it is necessary to translate the vision into a
sustainable mechanism for delivery of effective healthcare.
This workshop has been very timely and it will pave
the way for establishing an accreditation system in India. WHO looks forward
to collaborate further with the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in this
regard.
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