Kochi: At a time when fever is gripping the state and dengue is claiming a lot of lives, in sharp focus currently are healthy living practices and keeping surroundings clean. When it comes to the condition of hospitals in the state, how many of them meet the criteria is a question. Another question is: Is it not important to have a healthy environment at hospitals to arrest the spread of diseases.
Hospital acquired infections are a serious issue and in certain government hospitals including medical colleges, the condition of toilets itself is beyond description.  That itself is a pointer to the pathetic state of affairs.
In certain medical colleges and government hospitals, patients are forced to lie on the floor on a mat because there are no beds. When an epidemic is raging, it is of paramount importance to keep the hospital wards and premises clean. But even authorities show a callous disregard about hospital acquired infection.
“Even in the best hospitals, the rate of hospital acquired infection is 5 to 8 percent. So one can guess what the rate in government hospitals is. Even private hospitals have to do a lot more in bringing down this infection rate. In the case of government hospitals, there is an attitude that everything is given for free and its government money.
We have to understand that it’s the tax payer’s money that the government is using and it should not be wasted,” says the National Accreditation Board for Hospitals & Healthcare Providers Director Dr Gayatri V. Mahindroo.
Dr Gayatri says that people have a laidback attitude in demanding quality healthcare. “We insist on ISI certification when buying a pressure cooker but when it comes to health care, nobody seems to insist on such things. That’s why there are still so many hospitals without NABH accreditation, the benchmark of quality. It’s high time the best practices in hygiene and infection control are brought to our hospitals.

Patients and their relatives wait for consultation on the verandah of the General Hospital in Thiruvananthapuram.
It is for the state government to insist on NABH accreditation for the hospitals functioning here,” said Dr Gayatri, who was on a visit to Kochi to award the Devamatha Hospital, Koothattukulam, with the NABH-Safe I certification.
For the total NABH accreditation, a total of ten standards under two heads have to be met. The two heads are- patient-centred and hospital-centred. “How many doctors wash their hands between inspecting two patients? It is so important in relation to diseases that affect the eye and also in cases of fever. How many hospitals change bedsheets between patients when checking them? How many healthcare personnel use gloves? These are important apart from basic safe practices like sterilisation, use of disposable syringes and waste segregation and disposal,” Dr Gayatri said.
Dr Gayatri said that the NABH parameters under the10 heads are very strict in order to enforce hygiene and safe practices. “An elbow operated tap to wash equipment is among them. This will rule out infection which happens when taps are operated with the palm.
HR practices insist on employment of qualified hands and weed out quacks and also Ayurveda practitioners in allopathy hospitals. We also stress on patients’ education and patients rights which many people are not aware of. The hospitals have to adhere to them. Access to treatment records is among them. The NABH accreditation is given for only three years after which inspection is done,” she said.
NABH standards for hospitals have been accredited by the International Society for Quality in Healthcare (ISQua). The approval of ISQua authenticates that NABH standards are in consonance with the global benchmarks set by ISQua. The hospitals accredited by NABH will have international recognition. This gives a boost to medical tourism as well.